HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 8-a - Minutes1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: April 17, 2018
Action Agenda
Item No. 8-a
SUBJECT: MINUTES
DEPARTMENT: Board of County
Commissioners
ATTACHMENT(S):
Draft Minutes (Under Separate Cover)
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board
(919) 245-2130
PURPOSE: To correct and/or approve the minutes as submitted by the Clerk to the Board as
listed below.
BACKGROUND: In accordance with 153A-42 of the General Statutes, the Governing Board
has the legal duty to approve all minutes that are entered into the official journal of the Board’s
proceedings.
March 20, 2018 BOCC Regular Meeting
March 22, 2018 BOCC Joint Meeting with the Town of Chapel Hill
April 3, 2018 BOCC Regular Meeting
FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: NONE
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve minutes as
presented or as amended.
1
Attachment 1 1
2
DRAFT MINUTES 3
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 4
REGULAR MEETING 5
March 20, 2018 6
7:00 p.m. 7
8
9
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, March 20, 10
2018 at 7 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. 11
12
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Dorosin and Commissioners Mia Burroughs, 13
Barry Jacobs, Earl McKee, Mark Marcoplos, Renee Price and Penny Rich 14
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None 15
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts 16
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager 17
Travis Myren and Asst. Deputy Clerk II Sherri Ingersoll (All other staff members will be identified 18
appropriately below) 19
20
Chair Dorosin called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. 21
22
1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda 23
Chair Dorosin suggested moving item 11-a, Appointments to the Animal Services 24
Hearing Panel Pool, to after item 4-d. 25
The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) agreed by consensus. 26
Chair Dorosin noted the following items at the Commissioners’ places: 27
- 4-a: Elections PowerPoint 28
- 4-c: Revised Resolution in Support of the Equal Rights Amendment 29
- 6-b: Update on Manufactured Homes 30
- 7-a: Orange County Transportation Update PowerPoint 31
32
Commissioner Rich requested moving item 6-c (UDO Text Amendments on Regulating 33
Flagpoles and Flags) to the beginning of the regular agenda, since there are a lot of members of 34
the public present to speak on the issue and the Board agreed. 35
36
PUBLIC CHARGE 37
Chair Dorosin dispensed with the reading of the public charge. 38
39
Arts Moment 40
41
Katie Murray, Arts Commissioner Director, read the following introduction: 42
Thomas Mira y Lopez is the author of The Book of Resting Places (Counterpoint Press, 43
2017). He holds an MFA from the University of Arizona and has received fellowships from The 44
MacDowell Colony and Colgate University. Originally from New York, he lives in North Carolina 45
where he is currently the Kenan Visiting Writer at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. 46
Thomas Mira y Lopez thanked the Board of County Commissioners for having him, and 47
read an excerpt from one essay in his book, “The Book of Resting Places – a Fan for the 48
Afterlife.” 49
Chair Dorosin thanked him for coming, and said that it is always nice to be reminded of 50
the vibrant role the arts play in the community. 51
2
1
2. Public Comments 2
3
a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda 4
None 5
6
b. Matters on the Printed Agenda 7
8
3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members 9
Commissioner Price said she had attended the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro 10
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meeting. She said the MPO voted to approve 11
version 6 and the update on the 2025 transportation plan, and adopted these. She said she 12
also attended a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) event on 13
Sunday regarding “All Labor has Dignity”, in remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. She said 14
this was a good presentation, and was a reminder that there is still a lot of work to be done 15
regarding racial inequity. 16
Commissioner Marcoplos had no comments. 17
Commissioner Jacobs said he would like to see the actual version that the MPO 18
approved and adopted. He said he went to the Millhouse Road Temporary Waste Facility 19
meeting, which will be closing on April 3 at noon, with the new facility on Eubanks Road opening 20
at the same time. 21
Commissioner Jacobs provided a report on the meeting of the Justice Advisory Council; 22
most of the meeting discussion was about fines and fees in the NC court system, which 23
disproportionately impacts those of lower means. He said it was a good conversation, and this 24
problem is not unique to NC. He said many states use fines to keep people in jail, but 1.2 25
million people in NC are stuck in this situation. He said consequently, they could lose jobs and 26
family due to not being able to pay the fine. He said Judges are no longer allowed to waive 27
fees, and those affected need approval from any entity that the County gives to before lowering 28
the fine. 29
Commissioner Rich said she attended a meeting at the White House, with about 300 30
other representatives from North Carolina. She said they met with some of President Trump’s 31
directors and secretaries, and spoke about school safety and infrastructure, in particular 32
broadband. She said infrastructure often means water, sewer, and transportation, but this 33
conversation focused on money going out to the states for broadband. 34
Commissioner Rich said the Food Council is going to present the REI groundwater 35
presentation (3 hours) at the Whitted building on April 8, and interested people can sign up at 36
the Food Council website. She said there will be a $5 fee. 37
Commissioner Rich spoke about an article she read about the unemployment rate, and 38
Orange County is currently at 3.8%, which is one of the lowest in the State. She said this is 39
encouraging, but the County can always do better. 40
Commissioner McKee had no comments. 41
Commissioner Burroughs had no comments. 42
Chair Dorosin said he also attended the NAACP program, and it was very informative. 43
He said he has no formal petition, but wants to get clarification on whether or not a policy exists 44
to allow staff to act on one Commissioner’s request, as opposed to always requiring Board 45
consensus. He said all Commissioners are equals, and he does not know when items should 46
be brought back to the Board. 47
Commissioner Price said that a refresher is always good. 48
Commissioner Jacobs said there is a long-standing policy of a certain threshold of staff 49
time, after which, approval of the County Manager and/or the BOCC Chair is required. He said 50
3
he believed the threshold was anything above two hours of work. He said that this is an 1
important policy of which to be reminded. 2
Chair Dorosin said that he would like the Board to review the policy. 3
4
4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations 5
6
a. Presentation on Upcoming Elections and Voting Machines 7
The Board received an update on upcoming elections and voting machine security. 8
9
BACKGROUND: The May 8, 2018 primary election is fast approaching, below are some 10
highlights concerning this election: 11
12
• A list of candidates filed can be found on the County’s Board of Elections website, and 13
sample ballots will be posted as soon as they become available 14
• Absentee voting by mail begins March 19 15
• Voter registration deadline, including party changes, is Friday, April 13 16
• Early voting begins April 19 and ends May 5. Locations and times are: 17
18
April 19 – 20 (Th – F) 9 am – 5 pm *Board of Elections Office
Only*
April 21 (Saturday) 9 am – 3 pm Board of Elections Office
Carrboro Town Hall
April 23 – April 27 (M – F) 9 am – 5 pm Board of Elections Office
Carrboro Town Hall
April 28 (Saturday) 9 am – 3 pm Board of Elections Office
Carrboro Town Hall
April 30 – May 4 (M – F) 9 am – 5 pm Board of Elections Office
Carrboro Town Hall
May 5 (Saturday) 9 am – 1 pm Board of Elections Office
Carrboro Town Hall
19
Rachel Raper, Elections Director, made the following PowerPoint presentation: 20
21
Absentee Voting by Mail May 8, 2018 22
Primary: March 19th – May 1st at 5 pm 23
24
Registration Deadline (including party changes) 25
Friday, April 13th 26
Same Day Registration is available during One-Stop Voting (proof of residency is required) 27
28
Locations and times for one-stop absentee voting 29
BOARD OF ELECTIONS OFFICE-208 S. Cameron Street, Hillsborough 30
Thursday & Friday, April 19th & April 20th, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 31
32
BOARD OF ELECTIONS OFFICE-208 S. Cameron Street, Hillsborough 33
34
CARRBORO TOWN HALL – 301 W. Main Street, Carrboro 35
Saturday, April 21st, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 36
Monday – Friday, April 23rd – April 27th, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 37
Saturday, April 28th, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 38
4
Monday – Friday, April 30th – May 4th, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 1
Saturday, May 5th, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 2
3
CHAPEL OF THE CROSS – 304 E. Franklin St, Chapel Hill 4
EFLAND RURITAN CLUB BUILDING – 3009 Forrest Ave, Efland 5
SEYMOUR SENIOR CENTER – 2551 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill 6
Saturday, April 21st, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 7
Monday – Friday, April 23rd – April 27th, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 8
Saturday, April 28th, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 9
*Chapel of the Cross will be closed Saturday, April 28th* 10
Monday– Friday, April 30th – May 4th, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 11
Saturday, May 5th, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 12
13
North Carolina House Districts 50 & 56 have changed for some Orange County voters: 14
Weaver Dairy, Weaver Dairy Satellite, Cedar Falls, Booker Creek and Eastside precincts were 15
in District 50 and are now part of NC House District 56. 16
West Hillsborough, Cameron Park, Hillsborough, Grady Brown, Coles Store and St. John 17
precincts were in District 56 and now a part of District 50. 18
19
Elections Director Rachel Raper said the May election is fast approaching, and would 20
like to review the information that is available. She said the Elections office keeps information 21
updated regularly, and sample ballots are now available. She said in Orange County there is no 22
Republican ballot for the primary, and links to a lot of information are available on the website. 23
She said the voter registration deadline is April 13, and same day registration is available, but 24
requires proof of residency, such as a formal government document with name and address. 25
She said one stop voting starts April 10. She said there were some recent House district 26
changes that have affected some residents, and the office has some voter education outreach 27
coming up to inform those affected. She said packets are also being prepared for the affected 28
areas. 29
Rachel Raper said concerns have been brought forth about the voting machines that 30
Orange County uses, but the County’s machines are very safe. She said the machines are 31
never connected to the Internet, which is where most of the problems occur across the country. 32
She said modems are no longer used in reporting the results, and the machines have not been 33
equipped with modems since 2015. She said the County also does not use the touch screens, 34
which are crux of many of the problems. She said every vote is recounted by hand, by a 35
bipartisan team, to make certain they are the same as the machine count, regardless of the size 36
of the election. She said chain of custody forms are required for all materials, and all equipment 37
is kept behind lock and key with limited access by staff. She said her staff is very thorough and 38
dedicated in what they do. 39
Chair Dorosin asked if the voters who live in the affected precincts have gotten any 40
written notice from the state or the Elections office. 41
Rachel Raper said her office does not send out these types of notices unless there is a 42
call to action, such as an address change, because voters typically ignore additional mailings 43
around election time. She said the office notifies residents when something needs to be done, 44
which is why there will be outreach meetings in these various areas. 45
Commissioner Dorosin asked if information is available about the district changes, and 46
about the status of the State Board of Elections. 47
Rachel Raper said the State Board of Elections is being dissolved. 48
Commissioner Dorosin asked if this affects the status of the Orange County Board of 49
Elections. 50
5
Rachel Raper said that Orange County is still a three-member board, and the state 1
board meets tomorrow. She said it is unclear how this will affect Orange County, and currently 2
the votes need to be unanimous. She said the board may become a 4-member board, and 3
votes will no longer need to be unanimous. She said Orange County’s board has always been 4
able to work together, and she does not foresee a problem. 5
Commissioner Jacobs said the presentation was very helpful, and he finds the final 6
piece of information a bit unsettling. 7
Commissioner Dorosin asked if it is know who will pick the fourth member. 8
Rachel Raper said that State Board picks the fourth member. 9
10
b. Women’s History Month Proclamation 11
The Board officially proclaimed the month of March 2018 as “Women’s History Month” in 12
Orange County, and authorized the Chair to sign the proclamation. 13
14
BACKGROUND: Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when 15
Congress authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 16
1982 as “Women’s History Week". Over the next five years, Congress continued to approve 17
joint resolutions designating a week in March as "Women’s History Week”. 18
19
In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress designated 20
the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month”. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress 21
approved additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of 22
each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and 23
Trump have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as 24
“Women’s History Month”. 25
26
The Department on Aging is celebrating “National Women’s History Month” on Thursday, March 27
29 with a special performance – Maya Angelou’s Celebration of Women. The 2018 National 28
Women’s History theme – NEVERTHELESS SHE PERSISTED: Honoring Women Who Fight 29
All Forms of Discrimination against Women – will be commemorated at the Seymour Center in 30
Chapel Hill with a special dramatic performance by Diane Faison as Maya Angelou. Faison will 31
breathe life and wonder into the words of one of America’s greatest poets, Maya Angelou with a 32
free performance at the Seymour Center on Thursday, March 29 from 2 – 3 p.m. 33
34
Commissioner Rich read the proclamation: 35
36
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 37
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH PROCLAMATION 38
39
WHEREAS, women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historic 40
contributions to the growth and strength of our County in countless recorded and unrecorded 41
ways; and 42
43
WHEREAS, Orange County women have played and continue to play a critical 44
economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the County; and 45
46
WHEREAS, women of every race, class, and ethnic background served as early leaders 47
in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement; and 48
49
WHEREAS, women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage 50
and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the 51
6
industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements, especially the 1
peace movement, which create a more fair and just society for all; and 2
3
WHEREAS, despite these contributions, the role of women in history has been 4
consistently overlooked and undervalued in the literature, teaching and study of American 5
history; and 6
7
WHEREAS, women constitute a majority of the Orange County labor force working 8
inside and outside of the home; and 9
10
WHEREAS, currently, women do not receive equal pay for equal work; 11
12
NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County, North 13
Carolina, do hereby proclaim March 2018 as “WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH” in Orange County 14
and challenge County residents to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, 15
and activities. 16
17
THIS THE 20th DAY OF MARCH, 2018. 18
19
20
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to 21
authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation. 22
23
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 24
25
c. Resolution in Support of the Equal Rights Amendment 26
The Board voted to approve a Resolution in Support of the Equal Rights Amendment. 27
28
BACKGROUND: At the March 8, 2018 Board meeting, the Board asked staff to present for 29
Board consideration a Resolution in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. 30
31
The Equal Rights Amendment affirmed the equal application of the Constitution to all citizens; 32
which read: "Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every 33
place subject to its jurisdiction." The amendment was introduced in every session of Congress; 34
and was approved in reworded form by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives on 35
March 22, 1972. 36
37
The proposed 27th Amendment to the Constitution was sent to the States for ratification, and 38
fell three states short of ratification; including the State of North Carolina. The State of Nevada 39
recently approved the amendment, becoming the 36th state to approve. 40
41
Commissioner Jacobs read the proclamation: 42
RES-2018-018 43
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 44
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT 45
46
WHEREAS, Orange County forthrightly supports equal rights for all residents of 47
Orange County; and 48
49
7
WHEREAS, women continue to confront a lack of political parity, workplace 1
discrimination, health care inequities, disparate rates of poverty, rape and domestic violence 2
assaults; and 3
4
WHEREAS, the United States Constitution fails to guarantee explicitly that all rights 5
that it purports to protect are held equally by all residents without regard to sex; and 6
7
WHEREAS, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment never has been 8
interpreted to guarantee equal rights for women; and 9
10
WHEREAS, the Equal Rights Amendment [ERA] was drafted to help correct systemic 11
discrimination based on sex, i.e., by situating sex as a suspect category invoking strict judicial 12
scrutiny, as with race, national origin and religion; and 13
14
WHEREAS, the ERA was passed by Congress in 1972 and ratified by 35 of the 38 15
states necessary to put it into the Constitution, yet was assumed to have expired in 1982; and 16
17
WHEREAS, Congress can alter time limits in the proposing clauses of amendments, 18
and the deadline for the ERA appeared only in the preamble as opposed to the actual 19
legislation; and 20
21
WHEREAS, the State of Nevada became the 36th state to approve the ERA in 2017; 22
and 23
24
WHEREAS, Senator Floyd B. McKissick, Jr. and Representative Carla Cunningham 25
introduced ERA ratification bills in the NC General Assembly in the 2017 long session, with 26
Senator Mike Woodard co-sponsoring the Senate bill and Representative Henry M. Michaux 27
co-sponsoring the House bill; and 28
29
WHEREAS, US Representative David Price, Representative Alma Adams, and 30
Representative G.K. Butterfield have previously co-sponsored bills in Congress to adopt an 31
ERA, and to lift the time limits on states for ratifying the ERA; and 32
33
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution regarding the 34
Equal Rights Amendment on November 15, 2016 with language similar to that appearing 35
below; 36
37
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of County 38
Commissioners calls on the US Congress to pass into law a bill to adopt an Equal Rights 39
Amendment, or to remove the time limit for ratification of the ERA so that ratification shall be 40
achieved upon the affirmative vote of 38 states, of which 36 already have ratified; and 41
42
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of County 43
Commissioners calls on the NC General Assembly to pass into law a bill to ratify the Equal 44
Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution as proposed by Congress on March 22, 45
1972. 46
47
48
This the 20th day of March 2018. 49
50
8
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Price to 1
approve the resolution. 2
3
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 4
5
d. Resolution in Support of Better Protections and Safeguards to Victims 6
The Board approved a Resolution in Support of Better Protections and Safeguards to 7
Victims and authorized the Chair to sign the Resolution. 8
9
BACKGROUND: At the March 8, 2018 Board meeting, the Board voiced an interest in 10
considering a Resolution in Support of Better Protections and Safeguards to Victims. 11
Commissioner Renee Price drafted the attached resolution. 12
13
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) recent report, “Crime in the United 14
States”, in 2013, a total of 33,700 North Carolinians were the victims of Violent “Index Crimes” 15
including: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and 16
arson. 17
18
Voters in California passed the Victim’s Bill of Rights Act of 2008, also known as Marsy’s Law, 19
and other states are enacting similar laws to guarantee victims’ rights and provide victims with a 20
voice. 21
22
House Bill 551/Senate Bill 595, a bill to amend the Law and Constitution of North Carolina, has 23
been introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly in the spirit of Marsy’s Law to provide 24
better protections and safeguards to victims of crimes. 25
26
Commissioner Price read the resolution: 27
RES-2018-019 28
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 29
RESOLUTION 30
IN SUPPORT OF BETTER PROTECTIONS AND SAFEGUARDS TO VICTIMS 31
32
WHEREAS, Marsy’s Law For North Carolina and advocacy organizations statewide are 33
dedicated to guaranteeing victims’ rights and providing a voice; and 34
35
WHEREAS, Marsy’s Law For North Carolina supporters agree that victims should 36
always be treated with fairness and respect throughout the criminal justice process, protected 37
from the defendant, reasonably heard at public proceedings regarding their case, and given a 38
voice through the process of the case; and 39
40
WHEREAS, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) recent report, 41
“Crime in the United States”, in 2013, a total of 33,700 North Carolinians were the victims of 42
Violent “Index Crimes” including: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, 43
motor vehicle theft and arson; and 44
45
WHEREAS, Marsy’s Law for North Carolina will ensure that victims receive the same 46
rights that are afforded to criminals, and have rights to notification of release, hearings, 47
appropriate restitution and the right to speak during criminal proceedings; and 48
49
WHEREAS, voters in California passed the Victim’s Bill of Rights Act of 2008 50
[Proposition 9], also known as Marsy’s Law, and other states are enacting similar laws; and 51
9
1
WHEREAS, victims’ rights are a non-partisan, non-political issue, and Marsy’s Law is 2
one approach to ensuring victims’ rights; 3
4
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of 5
Commissioners does hereby stand in support of House Bill 551/Senate Bill 595, a bill to amend 6
the Law and Constitution of North Carolina to provide better protections and safeguards to 7
victims of crimes; and 8
9
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of Commissioners 10
encourages all residents of Orange County, North Carolina, to join in the commitment to protect 11
the rights of victims of crime in North Carolina. 12
13
This 20th day of March, 2018. 14
15
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Rich to 16
approve the resolution and authorize the Chair to sign. 17
18
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 19
20
11. *Appointments (MOVED) 21
22
a. Animal Services Hearing Panel Pool 23
The Board considered making the following appointments to the Animal Services 24
Hearing Panel Pool: 25
26
• Appointment to a first full term (position #2) “Town of Carrboro” for BOCC Selection 27
expiring 03/31/2021. 28
• Appointment to a first full term (position #5) “Town of Hillsborough” for BOCC Selection 29
expiring 03/31/2021. 30
• Appointment to a first full term (position #11) “At-Large” for George Goldbeck expiring 31
03/31/2021. 32
• Appointment to a second full term (position #14) “At-Large Unincorporated County” for 33
Brenda Baldwin Scott expiring 03/31/2021. 34
• Appointment to a second full term (position #17) “Animal Services Advisory Board 35
Member” for Beth Grooms expiring 03/31/2021. 36
37
38
POSITION NO.
NAME
SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE
EXPIRATION DATE
2 BOCC Selection Town of Carrboro 03/31/2021
5 BOCC Selection Town of Hillsborough 03/31/2021
11 George Golbeck At-Large 03/31/2021
14 Brenda Baldwin
Scott
At-Large Unincorporated
County
03/31/2021
17 Beth Grooms Animal Services Advisory
Board Member
03/31/2021
39
40
NOTE - If the individuals listed above are appointed, the following vacancies remain: 41
10
f. Position #1--- “At-Large Town of Carrboro” position----- expiring 03/31/2020. This 1
position has been vacant since 03/31/2017. Recruitment efforts have been 2
underway continuously. 3
g. Position #6--- “Town of Hillsborough” position----- expiring 03/31/2019. This position 4
has been vacant 03/31/2017. Recruitment efforts have been underway 5
continuously. 6
• Position #8--- “Public Safety Field” position----- expiring 03/31/2021. This position will 7
be vacant 03/31/2018. Recruitment efforts have been underway continuously. 8
9
Bob Marotto, Animal Services Director, said that three of the appointments are merely 10
re-appointments of people who have already served, and have indicated a willingness to 11
continue. He said there are two additional appointments requested, who are new applicants 12
who fit the criteria. He said if all five persons are appointed, there will be three remaining 13
vacancies. 14
Commissioner Price asked if there are additional applications 15
Bob Marotto said no. 16
Commissioner Dorosin confirmed there are five vacant positions to be filled. 17
18
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to 19
approve the reappointment of positions #11, 14 and 17. 20
21
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 22
23
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Price to appoint 24
those listed to positions #2 and 5 to fill the vacant positions. 25
26
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 27
28
5. Public Hearings 29
NONE 30
31
6. Regular Agenda 32
33
c. UDO Text Amendments on Regulating Flagpoles and Flags (MOVED) 34
The Board considered approving process components and schedule for proposed 35
amendments to the Orange County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to establish height 36
and size regulations for flagpoles and flags. 37
John Roberts reviewed the following background information: 38
39
BACKGROUND: Orange County residents have expressed concern that a text amendment to 40
the UDO, specifically adopting regulations governing the height, location, and number of 41
flagpoles as well as the allowable size of flags may be needed for Orange County. 42
43
While Orange County elected officials and staff understand this concern it is important to 44
remember that the right to Free Expression is a fundamental right of every person and the 45
Board of County Commissioners has a long history of supporting and defending this 46
right. The display of flags is a traditional means of Free Expression and the staff and elected 47
officials of Orange County should approach the regulation of this method of expression with 48
care and circumspection. Both the North Carolina and United States Constitutions protect Free 49
Expression. Freedom of Expression is a right of every person and as such it may not be 50
11
prohibited. There is, however, a substantial amount of case law that provides for the reasonable 1
regulation of constitutionally protected rights such as Freedom of Expression. 2
3
The UDO has existing content-neutral provisions that regulate flags as banners and signs, 4
however, in the past there have been no complaints involving flags that have created an 5
enforcement situation in Orange County. 6
7
In order to clarify for the public that flags and flagpoles are reasonably regulated in Orange 8
County, it may be necessary to amend the UDO in a content neutral manner to expressly set 9
out regulations that apply to flags and flagpoles while continuing to enforce the existing UDO 10
language as it may apply to flags and flagpoles. In consideration of this, the Planning Director 11
has initiated a text amendment to the UDO, specifically to adopt regulations governing the 12
height, location, and number of flagpoles as well as the allowable size of flags. For more 13
information please refer to Attachment 1. 14
15
John Roberts said the community has expressed a desire for additional language in the 16
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) regarding flags. He said the current UDO is content 17
neutral, but it needs to be made clearer. He said any amendments would apply to all content 18
universally. He said the U.S. and N.C. constitutions both protect free expression, and the Board 19
of County Commissioners has a long history supporting this also. He said this issue needs to 20
be approached very carefully, and be limited to the question of size only. He said if the Board of 21
County Commissioners wants to go forward, the Planning Department has outlined how staff 22
will proceed, which will go before the Planning Board, and then to public hearing. 23
24
PUBLIC COMMENT: 25
Ivy Barger read a statement, on behalf of Hillsborough Progressives Taking Action 26
(HPTA), which was written by Heather Reading. She said First Amendment rights are critical, 27
however are not immune to regulation, and content neutral language protects this. She said 28
HPTA supports this proposal, and any symbol of white supremacy has no place in our 29
community. 30
Grace Barger said she attends college out of town, but Hillsborough is her home. She 31
said she was part of the Hate Free Schools Coalition at Cedar Ridge High School, and others 32
tried to intimidate this group’s actions about limitations on clothing. She said white supremacist 33
messages cannot be so prominently displayed. 34
Chuck Willingham said one of the first t-shirts he saw after joining the Hate Free Schools 35
Coalition last year challenged him to review history, and he took the challenge to review 36
confederate history. He said his parents did not teach him that if one believes that races are 37
equal, then racial disparities must be the result of racial discrimination. He said, in essence, 38
race is an outcome throughout our society, and the Confederate flag is a symbol of that. He 39
said Swastikas no longer fly in Germany, or the Rhodesian flag in South Africa. He said the 40
Confederate flag should no longer be allowed in the United States. 41
Hillary MacKenzie said she has lived in Orange County her entire life, and most people 42
felt being racist was terrible when she was growing up. She said raising a giant confederate 43
flag that reflects and promotes intimidation does not seem to represent the Orange County she 44
knows. She said any sign of this scale does not seem in keeping with the small town values 45
she grew up with, and she hopes the Board can find a way to preserve free speech but limit the 46
size of these flags. 47
Maya Little said she is a resident of Carrboro. She said that the confederate flag was not 48
popular until the 1950’s, under Jim Crow, when white supremacists used it to threaten and 49
intimidate, and police accompanied Blacks. She said churches were bombed, and people 50
humiliated, in places where these flags were used. She said the flag is used to intimidate 51
12
people of color, and promotes an atypical history of the civil war. She said freedom of speech 1
is important, but so is freedom from racial harassment and intimidation. 2
Marc Xavier said he believes the Board of County Commissioners is trying its best to 3
find a solution, and believes in freedom of speech. He said he too supports everyone’s right to 4
freedom of speech. He said the Bible talks about Sodom and Gomorrah, which he summarized. 5
He asked what would happen if God came to Orange County, and what would he/she say about 6
the way Orange County residents treat other people. He said it is important to do the right 7
thing, and to solve the flag issue by finding a solution to make the flag insignificant. 8
Katherine Walker said she is an Orange County/Hillsborough resident, and she thinks 9
the size of the flagpole should be regulated. She said there are those who will see any 10
regulation as a threat to freedom of speech, but she encouraged the BOCC to continue its 11
positive work. 12
Jennifer Bremer spoke in support of UDO limitations. She said it is important to be 13
welcoming to all and include freedom of speech, but there has been much push back against 14
the decisiveness of displays in the businesses and homes. She said economic growth may be 15
hindered due to divisive displays, and the community must move towards better harmony. She 16
said she strongly encourages modification to put reasonable limits on flags and banners. 17
18
Commissioner Marcoplos thanked the public for sharing its views, and for the 19
reasonable approach to this issue. He said he has concerns about how to impose limitations 20
without limiting one’s right to free expression. He said it is important that the BOCC preserves 21
the right of free expression, as it may turn around and bite them later. He said through the 22
comments he heard at the last meeting, as well as this evening, he has a deeper appreciation 23
as to why these changes need to be made. 24
Commissioner Price said she may offend some people, but the BOCC will be making a 25
step in the right direction if it limits the size of this symbol. She said the BOCC has heard that 26
the Confederate flag is offensive, and while it is part of southern heritage, it offends too many 27
people. She said there are other ways to celebrate southern heritage, and some things are 28
offensive because of the offensive history. 29
Commissioner Jacobs said he has heard discussion about gun limitations lately, and he 30
was thinking about the larger fabric of this. He said it embodies the discussions about flags, as 31
well as about guns. He said there is a societal hollowness that allows the acceptance of 32
persons in power who belittle, demean and insult the powerless, and a government that does 33
not respond to the needs of the people, and that this is a time when it is hard to find 34
commonality. He said he appreciates the tone of the public comments this evening, and wishes 35
there had been some people present to share why they wish to display the confederate flag. He 36
said nothing can move forward without conversations taking place, and society is splintering into 37
groups that do not talk to each other. He said a participatory discussion is needed, or things will 38
proceed in the wrong direction at a faster pace. 39
Commissioner Rich said she thinks of the Confederate flag as a symbol of terrorism, and 40
Orange County deserves better. She said she is glad the public came this evening, and she 41
hopes they will return to speak during the public hearing. She said a proposed timing schedule 42
is in the agenda. 43
Commissioner McKee said the BOCC is often called to make decisions that will not 44
make everyone happy, and, in such situations, he asks himself: is this reasonable; is the 45
process deliberate and not reactionary; is it fair; and is it defensible. He said in this situation the 46
answer to each of these questions is yes. 47
Chair Dorosin said there are many strong feelings about this symbol, and about freedom 48
of speech. He said this seems like a good approach to use; and it was done in Durham with the 49
13
Bob Evans flag, and limits can be set. He said this is an important step, and he echoed 1
Commissioner Marcoplos and Commissioner Jacobs’ comments about the public input, and the 2
exercise of discussion to move this forward. 3
Commissioner Marcoplos asked about the timeframe of the public hearing in May, and if 4
the BOCC will make a decision at that time. 5
Chair Dorosin said the BOCC could make a decision at the public hearing. 6
Commissioner Marcoplos recommended moving the public hearing and vote to May 1, to 7
move things along. 8
9
A motion was made by Commissioner Burroughs, seconded by Commissioner 10
Marcoplos to approve the proposed amendment to the Orange County Unified Development 11
Ordinance (UDO) to establish height and size regulations for flagpoles and flags. 12
13
Commissioner Rich reminded the audience that the Planning Board Meeting is on April 14
4, and materials will be available for review on the website. 15
Commissioner Price asked if there will be a community conversation about this topic. 16
Chair Dorosin said that was not decided. 17
Commissioner Price said a public hearing does not really allow for back and forth 18
conversation. She said there may be public interest in having a further dialogue about this, 19
where the BOCC is able to respond. 20
Commissioner Jacobs said another local government brought up the idea of further 21
dialogue, but he does not think it is a bad idea. He said there could be structure in place to 22
allow for respectful conversation, and have parameters of what is being discussed. He said it 23
could be a useful exercise, if a framework is set out in advance. 24
Chair Dorosin asked if the Human Relations Commission could take on this task 25
sometime between now and the public hearing. 26
Bonnie Hammersley said the Human Relations Commission had a community 27
conversation on this topic last June, but this could happen again. 28
Commissioner Price said it would be good to have a meeting where the Commissioners 29
can attend. 30
Chair Dorosin said to have another opportunity for such dialogue. 31
32
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 33
34
a. Blackwood Farm Park – Proposed Revised Master Plan 35
The Board considered approving amendments to the Blackwood Farm Park Master Plan 36
map to incorporate updated plans for infrastructure improvements and park facilities. 37
David Stancil, Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation Director, 38
reminded the BOCC that there is no action being requested at this time about funding. He said 39
this item is about the proposed revisions to the Blackwood Farm Park master plan, and some 40
plan amendments would be needed for improvements. He reviewed the following information: 41
42
BACKGROUND: At the December 12, 2017 BOCC meeting, the Board received an update on 43
plans for improvements at Blackwood Farm Park located on NC 86 and New Hope Church 44
Road between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. The park opened with limited facilities and hours of 45
operation in June 2015. 46
47
Blackwood Farm Park is a 152-acre regional park that currently features several miles of natural 48
surface trails, fishing, a historic farmstead with interpretive signage, a small picnic shelter, and a 49
10-space parking area located along the existing narrow driveway. Due to limited facilities, the 50
park is currently open only on weekends. The park master plan, adopted in 2011, reflects a 51
14
design that features the many natural and cultural resources present on the site, adding several 1
low-impact recreation or community gathering features. 2
3
As noted in the December 12 memo, the first step in bringing the park’s planned amenities to 4
fruition is the completion of several infrastructure needs (known as Phase 2-A) that will enable 5
more visitors to access and enjoy the park. Funding for this infrastructure was previously 6
approved. Specifically, the components that would be constructed with the existing funds are: 7
• A new entrance and turn lane on NC 86, to be located further north on NC 86 (please 8
see the attached “Proposed Revised Master Plan” map) 9
• A parking area with approximately 60 spaces and room for bus turnarounds; and 10
• Lighting, septic and stormwater measures needed to accommodate the infrastructure 11
improvements 12
13
In conjunction with these infrastructure improvements, a planned child-friendly “Discovery Trail” 14
with nature and environmental signage would also be added. In addition, ongoing stabilization 15
work of the Blackwood Farmhouse would continue (using existing funds). 16
17
Some of these infrastructure features are refinements from the original adopted master plan, 18
and in some cases additional changes are suggested based on these refinements, the 19
relocation of the planned Parks Operations Base, and additional plans and discussions of the 20
past seven years. 21
22
Accordingly, the Proposed Revised Master Plan includes the following primary changes or 23
additions: 24
• Realignment of the planned park entrance drive and parking area to a more site 25
sensitive, scenic and efficient design; 26
• Addition of the Discovery Trail; 27
• Deletion of the Parks Operations Base and associated yard space; and addition of a 28
small Park Office in its place (pending future decisions on potential new County 29
campus); 30
• Addition of the re-established Blackwood Farm Orchard; 31
• Relocation of the trailhead; 32
• Addition of a disc golf course; 33
• Deletion of a planned northern boundary road and parking areas; 34
• Deletion of the possible Informal Multi-Use Field; 35
• Selection of a preferred amphitheater site (the original master plan had three options); 36
• Identification of the Agricultural Exhibits and Garden Area; and 37
• Addition of new picnic shelters and restrooms. 38
39
Of the additions, refinements and changes detailed above, the only significant change is the 40
proposed creation of a disc golf course, a concept that was discussed in the 2016 and 2017 41
Capital Investment Plan (CIP) review and discussions, and informally authorized by the Board. 42
The deletion of the Parks Operations Base from this location and its inclusion at a new site is 43
also based on previous Board discussions, and deletion of the planned northern road and 44
parking areas is based on discussions with neighbors whose homes back up to the northern 45
boundary of the park, and the lack of need for these facilities based on the updated design with 46
the disc golf course. 47
48
Staff has communicated the Proposed Revised Master Plan to park neighbors who have 49
expressed appreciation for the deletion of the planned road and northernmost parking lot. 50
15
Adoption of a revised master plan will enable staff to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) 1
for an engineering and design firm to prepare detailed construction documents for the park 2
infrastructure using existing funding. It is recommended that the scope of work for this 3
consultant also include the planned future park construction (Phase 2-B), if current timetables 4
remain in place. Staff anticipates bringing a design/engineering consultant recommendation to 5
the Board for approval by the summer break. 6
7
Marabeth Carr, Landscape Architect, said staff has had the opportunity to see the park 8
in action, and have seen some deficits. She said a major deficit is bringing large groups to the 9
site, and it is a challenge for school buses to drop off kids safely. She said the new design will 10
solve this issue. She said it is very similar to the initial design, with the exception of the disc golf 11
course. She said staff has chosen the area for an amphitheater in an area that has been used 12
in the past. 13
Chair Dorosin asked where people would sit. 14
Marabeth Carr said the stage would be in the hollow, which is just off the map, and the 15
County had a Jazz Festival there in the past. 16
Commissioner Rich asked if there is a definition for a regional park. 17
David Stancil said this is fairly standard terminology, and that it is a larger park that has 18
agricultural and natural components, but no sports fields. He said Little River is a regional park. 19
Commissioner Price asked if Emergency Services vehicles would enter through the 20
lower end only. 21
David Stancil said yes. 22
Commissioner Price asked if the proposed layout gives enough access, if there was an 23
emergency at the back end of the property, and the main entrance was unavailable. 24
Marabeth Carr said there will be mowed paths that could provide access. 25
Dinah Jeffries, Emergency Services (EMS) Director, said it can be accessed, but it is 26
important to consider the larger vehicles that accompany EMS, like fire trucks. She said she 27
cannot give an absolute yes, but EMS has accessed smaller areas before. 28
Marabeth Carr said this has already gone to the Planning Department for courtesy 29
review, and will be reviewed formally by a new engineer. She said the plan will then go out to 30
EMS, the Sheriff, etc. for comment. 31
Sheriff Blackwood said he has already begun conversations with Commissioner Jacobs 32
about the need to be able to access all of County parks. He said the Sheriff’s Office works 33
closely with Emergency Services, and there will need to be a way to get his people in as well. 34
He said it is important to keep these conversations at the front of the agenda. 35
Commissioner Price said she is concerned about being able to get the necessary 36
equipment to where it is needed. 37
Marabeth Carr said the Sheriff’s department is always so helpful, especially with 38
controlling traffic for field trips. 39
David Stancil said this entire process will involve a great deal of discussion of all of these 40
concerns. 41
Commissioner Marcoplos referred to the vault toilets mentioned on the map, and asked 42
if these could also be useful at Millhouse Road Soccer Park. 43
David Stancil said there is an active vault toilet at Occoneechee Mountain, and they 44
have pros and cons. He said they are self-contained, but expensive to build and require 45
maintenance. 46
Commissioner Marcoplos said the need may exceed such an option at Blackwood, with 47
events like Localfest. 48
David Stancil said portable restrooms would be needed for festivals, and other large 49
events. 50
16
Commissioner Rich said that the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group discussed the 1
disc golf course, and is very excited about this as it can be another draw to the area. 2
David Stancil said this group will be engaged in future conversations. He said this group 3
can sometimes bring funding and other assistance to the table. 4
Chair Dorosin asked if some of the trails shown on the phase 2 map already exist. 5
Marabeth Carr said all of the trails exist, and the Discovery Trail is ready to open, but will 6
be somewhat separate as it is geared towards children. 7
Marabeth Carr said the different trail colors relate to different trail names. 8
Commissioner Jacobs asked if the Discovery Trail is the one proposed by staff in soil 9
and water. 10
David Stancil said yes, and this staff has been heavily involved. 11
12
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to 13
approve the proposed revised master plan changes. 14
15
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 16
17
18
b. Update on the Manufactured Home Parks Initiative and Approval of the 19
Parameters for a Contract for Relocation Coordination Services 20
The Board received an update on the activities undertaken to date on the Manufactured Home 21
Parks Initiative and considered voting to approve entering into an agreement with 22
Empowerment for “Relocation Coordination” services and authorized the Manager to execute 23
agreements. 24
25
BACKGROUND: On November 20, 2017, the Affordable Housing Land Banking/Manufactured 26
Home Park Work Group presented the Board of County Commissioners (NC) with its 27
recommendations on strategies for mitigating resident displacement and relocation challenges 28
due to park closures and redevelopment efforts. The NC approved the recommendations and 29
requested that County staff develop a Rapid Response Protocol in order to allow for timely, 30
coordinated action when manufactured home park closures occur. The Rapid Response 31
Protocol was created, reviewed by the Work Group and presented to the NC in February 2018. 32
33
Currently, there are two (2) manufactured home parks that are in threat of closure: Lakeview in 34
Chapel Hill and Homestead located on NC 86 South. The Town of Chapel Hill is taking the lead 35
and working with the proposed developer on strategies to relocate the residents in Lakeview 36
Mobile Home Park. Residents in the Homestead Mobile Home Park have been given until 37
March 31, 2018 to relocate, and the County is leading the effort to provide relocation options for 38
these residents. 39
40
UPDATE/RECENT ACTIVITIES: 41
• February 24, 2018 – A meeting was held with the residents of the Homestead Mobile 42
Home Park to gather their input and comments, as well as ascertain their needs given 43
the proposed manufactured home park closure and their displacement. There are a total 44
of seven (7) occupied manufactured homes and up to five (5) families have the potential 45
of being displaced; three (3) families met with staff. Two (2) remaining families are afraid 46
of retaliation and thus refused to speak with County staff. Two (2) additional families 47
have some work affiliation with the manufactured home park owner and also will not 48
speak with County staff. 49
50
17
• On March 6, 2018, the Rehabilitation Specialists in the Housing and Community 1
Development Department conducted an inspection of three (3) of the units at the 2
Homestead Mobile Home Park. The Rehabilitation Specialists determined that none of 3
the manufactured homes could be moved safely without significant investment. 4
5
• On March 7, 2018, the graduate interns working in the Housing and Community 6
Development Department, along with other UNC-Chapel Hill graduate students, held a 7
“phone-a-thon” to contact the 100 manufactured home park owners in the County to 8
gather information and identify available vacancies. 9
10
**In mid-April 2018, an information session will be held with manufactured home park owners to 11
provide information gathered during the “phone-a-thon”. 12
13
• The Rapid Response Team met on March 13, 2018 to review a draft proposal of 14
services for residents of the Homestead Mobile Home Park. 15
16
• On March 17, 2018, staff will meet again with the residents of Homestead Mobile Home 17
Park to discuss and evaluate potential options for relocation. 18
19
Staff is proposing two options to relocate residents at Homestead: 20
21
Option 1 – Assisting residents with locating alternative affordable housing and providing 22
displacement funds to facilitate the relocation. Working with the Community Home Trust, staff 23
has identified vacancies at the Landings at Winmore as one potential relocation option. These 24
units are dedicated to serving low and very low income individuals and families. 25
26
Option 2 – Contracting with Empowerment Inc. to provide Relocation Coordinator Services. 27
Staff is recommending that the County allocate up to $280,000 to enter into an agreement with 28
Empowerment Inc. to provide mitigation displacement services to the low and very low income 29
individuals and families living at the Homestead Mobile Home Park. Empowerment would 30
purchase manufactured homes to be used by eligible individuals and families and would provide 31
property management services for the units purchased. 32
33
Empowerment would provide services such as: 34
• Determining program participant eligibility; 35
• Using the County’s centralized database of manufactured home park owners to find 36
available manufactured homes and/or spaces for lease; 37
• Ensuring that any manufactured home purchased are sold or leased to families earning 38
no more than eighty percent (80%) of the HUD Area Median Income; 39
• Ensuring the long-term affordability of the manufactured homes (twenty (20) years); 40
• Providing written leases and lease-purchase agreements with residents, as appropriate; 41
and 42
• Providing general maintenance on manufactured homes to ensure continued standard 43
housing conditions. 44
45
The Orange County Housing and Community Development Department, along with the 46
Permitting and Inspections Division in the Planning Department, would conduct all the 47
necessary inspections to ensure that the housing is adequate, safe and sanitary. The County 48
would ensure the long term affordability of the manufactured homes through the legal 49
18
agreement with Empowerment, Inc. On March 17th, staff discussed options with residents and 1
continued with efforts to identify other housing options. 2
3
Staff also is continuing to conduct due diligence on the Millhouse Road site. As staff identifies 4
additional options and strategies, the Board will continue to receive updates. 5
6
Sherrill Hampton, Housing Director, reviewed the updates since the February meeting, 7
and is asking the BOCC for parameters for a contract as to how to move forward. She said the 8
additional handout is the proposed strategy for the two mobile home parks slated for closure: 9
Lakewood in Chapel Hill, and Homestead in Orange County. 10
Sherrill Hampton said there are nine spots in the Homestead Mobile Home Park, and 11
seven are occupied. She said of the seven, employees of the park occupy two; and two have 12
already found other arrangements, moving in with family. She said these families are afraid of 13
retaliation, and will not speak with County staff. She said that leaves three families remaining. 14
She said she hopes the two families that have moved will return and work with the County. She 15
said the Department is working with the database from the Planning and Tax Assessors office, 16
and has been trying to get in touch with current park owners to identify available spots. She 17
said she would like to hear from other park owners if there are available spots in the County. 18
Sherrill Hampton said she is thankful that all departments are working together to create 19
strategies, as well as the schools. She said this is a fluid process, and appreciates BOCC 20
support throughout. She said the team is building the airplane while flying it. She said two 21
options are being brought tonight for consideration, as the Homestead residents are being 22
relocated. She said these residents are under a serious time crunch, and the owner is not 23
responsive. She said these families have to move by 3/31/18, and are very anxious. She said 24
the families did not select option 1, which was expected based, on the last year’s survey. 25
Sherrill Hampton said staff are working with option 2, and prefer a recommendation for 26
this approach if possible, since it is asset creation by ownership. She said there is an 27
immediate need for services. She said the handout shows parameters for working with 28
Empowerment. She said the Department would like to enter into an agreement for relocation 29
services, and Empowerment has the capacity and experience to do this quickly. She said it is 30
important to not put residents in a situation with a large cost burden, and she would like to ask 31
for flexibility for the County Manager to be able to make decisions as other situations arise. She 32
said a lease-purchase opportunity is shown, with a sliding scale for those residents in a 33
purchase situation through Empowerment. 34
Commissioner Price asked if clarification could be provided as to whether there are three 35
or five families. 36
Sherrill Hampton said staff has budgeted for 5 families, but two are currently afraid to 37
talk with the County. She said she hopes this will change, and, as such, have planned for all 38
five. 39
Commissioner Price asked if five families are approved, and two do not return, could the 40
remaining funds be used for other families. 41
Sherrill Hampton said that the estimate is a “not to exceed” amount, and the Housing 42
Department would need to go back to the County Manager for approval if other families need 43
the assistance. She said she would ask that these particular funds be left open specifically for 44
the Homestead Park residents for 6 months to a year, in order to allow time to build trust and 45
rapport. 46
Chair Dorosin confirmed that seven families are being displaced from the Homestead 47
Park. 48
Sherrill Hampton said she thinks there are five families being displaced, as the two 49
remaining families are affiliated with the park owners, who also refuse to speak with County 50
staff. She said the park owner has not said what will be done with the site. 51
19
Chair Dorosin clarified that a new mobile home, or a refurbished one, will be purchased 1
by Empowerment, and that home will be located in a site that has a vacancy. He asked if the 2
resident will be paying rent to the park owner for the lot. 3
Sherrill Hampton said Empowerment will coordinate these details. She said the lots 4
would be rented to Empowerment, and the lease payment would go to Empowerment for 5
continued case management. 6
Chair Dorosin asked if the resident will be paying something, such as a lot cost and 7
potentially some rent for the unit. 8
Sherrill Hampton said the resident will pay the lot cost, and there are two options for 9
rent. She said there can be a sub-lease, with Empowerment providing ongoing maintenance, 10
based on a sliding scale for income; or a straight lease/purchase arrangement. She said if a 11
purchase arrangement is made, and successfully met over a period of 10-15 years, 12
Empowerment will transfer ownership. 13
Chair Dorosin asked if it is possible that the five displaced families will no longer live 14
together in the same place. 15
Sherrill Hampton said she is having a difficult time talking with other owners, as they 16
have no available spaces. She said people currently living in other parks are frightened that 17
their homes may be next to be sold. She said some people are trying to be proactive, and move 18
out of lots that may be sold soon. 19
Chair Dorosin asked if Millhouse Road or other County properties could be used for 20
mobile homes, if other spaces cannot be found for the five families. He said these spots would 21
need some infrastructure, but this may be a possibility if difficulty arises. 22
Sherrill Hampton said this has been considered, and the Health Department has been 23
tasked with looking into some of these places for well and septic. She said there are some 24
other possibilities near the Fairview community in Hillsborough, and some areas owned by 25
Housing Authority. 26
Commissioner Rich asked if it is an option to temporarily house these residents in 27
apartments, so they have a roof over their heads. 28
Sherrill Hampton said this has been considered, and staff has been trying to manage 29
expectations. She said large work equipment and pets create problems for two of the families. 30
She said animal services may be able to help. 31
Commissioner Rich said there are only 15 days to get a roof over the heads of these 32
families, and she knows it is complicated, but does not want to see people homeless. 33
Sherrill Hampton said staff has been working late into the night, and is pulling out all the 34
stops. She said the needs are complicated and great. 35
Commissioner Jacobs asked if The Landings allows animals. 36
Sherrill Hampton said that one family has five dogs of different sizes, and no complex 37
will allow five pets. She said one family has moved in with relatives; and one family has found 38
another mobile home park slot, and will meet with Empowerment, pending BOCC approval this 39
evening. 40
Commissioner Jacobs asked if there is a timeframe for which staff can report back on 41
the possibility of using the Millhouse area as an option. 42
Craig Benedict, Planning Director, said that Asset Management Services has hired a 43
consultant to work on infrastructure analysis of the parcel, and hopes to have information before 44
the break in June. 45
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if having this information in June will allow the BOCC to 46
somewhat predict when it will be available for occupancy, or is it too soon to determine that. 47
Craig Benedict said staff will have a timeline of the various processes, but the area will 48
need rezoning, which takes time. 49
Commissioner Marcoplos said it would be good if the Lakeview residents could have a 50
pre-arranged place to relieve some pressure of looking for alternatives. 51
20
Craig Benedict said there are a lot of moving parts, and he is uncertain. He said it will 1
be at least 2019. 2
Commissioner Marcoplos said he appreciates the short and long term work being done 3
to keep this process moving forward. 4
Commissioner McKee asked if sewer and water is being explored in the area, to 5
increase the density. 6
Craig Benedict said there will be no land use changes, and density may be collapsed 7
from a 78-acre parcel to a certain limited area. He said 3 options will be considered: sustain 8
normal septic systems; a new innovative system; and public water and sewer as a last resort. 9
Commissioner McKee says he thinks all available options should be explored. He said 10
density may be able to be more increased by going to sewer and water, and avoid many of the 11
problems associated with any and all septic systems. 12
Commissioner Jacobs said he understands and appreciates the commitment to getting 13
this brought forward in June, but suggested that the Board of County Commissioners could 14
have a special meeting over the summer, if needed, to keep the issue moving forward. He 15
suggested that there may be a possibility to look at something different at Millhouse Road due 16
to the rural buffer, though extending water and sewer into the rural buffer should be a last resort. 17
He said it is important to communicate the BOCC’s intentions clearly with the public. He said 18
the BOCC has no desire to destroy the rural buffer, and it does not plan to turn the entire 19
Millhouse Road property into a mobile home park. 20
Craig Benedict said 8-10 acres will be used, and the desire is to pursue well and septic, 21
with water and sewer extension being the last resort. 22
Commissioner Price asked if areas beyond Chapel Hill/Carrboro are being considered. 23
Sherrill Hampton said the entire County is being considered. 24
Commissioner Price asked if there are school-aged children involved. 25
Sherrill Hampton said one of the three families, who are working with the County, has 26
children, and staff has learned that one family, who is not working with the County, also has 27
children. She said staff is working with both school districts to work out these complications. 28
PUBLIC COMMENT 29
Josh Kirchner, a resident at 6806 Millhouse Road, commended the Board of County 30
Commissioners for all of its efforts, and said he feels for the families. He said he has concerns 31
about changing the zoning at the Millhouse Road site to accommodate higher density, and the 32
addition of a mobile home park. He said the original owner of this land intended for it to be used 33
as a park, and sold it to the County for this reason. He said the County is now considering 34
using it as a park and high-density housing, which he finds to be disingenuous. He said he has 35
concerns about water quality and septic, and has asked for a map, but has not been given one. 36
He said he has been told this will be developed as far from his property as possible, but that 37
would locate it next to the abandoned landfill, which raises concerns about radioactive residue 38
in wells. He said this puts these residents, who are already disadvantaged, in a suspect 39
situation. He said he does not like the idea of manufactured housing, but is fine with the idea of 40
densely built housing with sewer and water. 41
Delores Bailey, Empowerment Executive Director, said her organization recently spoke 42
with the Homestead Mobile Home community, and the residents are distraught about where 43
they will live. She said she appreciates the foresight of the Board of County Commissioners to 44
face these situations; and believes these are positive solutions to the problem. 45
Sarah Geer, Empowerment Board of Directors, said she appreciates the opportunity to 46
participate in this process. She said manufactured housing is a new area for Empowerment, but 47
their experience can address this situation. 48
Claudia Yerena is a mediator between the Homestead community and the County. She 49
thanked the BOCC for its efforts on behalf of these residents, and said the County is the only 50
hope the residents have. 51
21
Commissioner Burroughs said that the typical stereotype of government employees has 1
been blown out of the water by this situation, and the County staff is amazing. 2
Sherrill Hampton said she has had conversations with Commissioner Jacobs about the 3
Millhouse area, and Orange County is at the forefront of the issue of mobile home parks. She 4
said Chatham County is also dealing with this issue, and the BOCC has stepped up and allowed 5
staff the latitude to work this out. She said her vision for Millhouse Road is a brick entrance, 6
green space, a playground, a resident-owned community, and permanent foundations. She 7
said she would like to see a beautiful community with a variety of affordable housing types, 8
preserving neighborhoods. She referred to ROCUSA, as an example, and said she would 9
never support any development in which she herself would not want to live, or live next to. She 10
asked if high density could be further defined. 11
Craig Benedict said in this situation it means about 34 units on 10 acres gross, and 12
mobile homes parks could be a bit higher. He said this is comparable to a small family 13
neighborhood. 14
Sherrill Hampton said when significant information is available there will be thorough 15
conversations with the community, and she invited the BOCC to continue exploring all options 16
with her. 17
Commissioner Rich asked if a map can be provided to Mr. Kirchner. 18
Commissioner Jacobs confirmed that there are two families from Homestead who are 19
ready to move. 20
Sherrill Hampton said that there are three now, with the possibility of five. She said staff 21
has found a spot for one family. 22
Commissioner Jacobs asked if the families could be reviewed again. 23
Sherrill Hampton said there are 5 families, two of which will not speak with staff. She 24
said of the three remaining families, one has found an alternate spot, and the remaining two 25
await a solution. She said of the remaining two families, one has large work equipment and the 26
second has 5 dogs. 27
Chair Dorosin clarified that the one family, for whom staff has found an alternate spot, 28
still requires the BOCC to approve this so that staff can move forward in helping them. 29
Sherrill Hampton said yes. 30
Commissioner Jacobs clarified that two are being approved that are not yet needed, but 31
are expected to be needed later. 32
Sherrill Hampton said yes, and they have moved in with children and will therefore still 33
need some direct assistance. 34
Commissioner Jacobs said he would prefer to use modular housing, as opposed to 35
mobile homes, if immediate action is not required. He said he would rather not appropriate 36
money for two more mobile homes, and would rather look at getting a handle on modular 37
houses, whether on County owned parcels or otherwise. He said he is hesitant to commit to 38
mobile homes due to their depreciating value. He said the County has limited capacity to 39
provide housing, and he is uncomfortable using these funds to provide something with 40
depreciating value. He said he lives across from a modular community, and would feel more 41
comfortable if the County could pursue this option. 42
Sherrill Hampton said modular homes will cost more, at least $79,900. She said there 43
are three families that will be without a home very soon. 44
Commissioner Jacobs said he would be more comfortable buying manufactured houses 45
for those in imminent need, and buying modular housing for those in more speculative need, to 46
be built on County owned land. He said modular homes would be less intrusive to people’s 47
sense of what a community is. He said it may cost more short term, but will be worth more in 48
the long term. 49
Commissioner Marcoplos said he agreed, and it is important to be flexible to meet the 50
immediate needs. He said with modular homes, there is another $15,000-20,000 to be spent 51
22
preparing the lot, building the foundation, and other work to connect the house to utilities. He 1
said, even so, it should definitely be considered. 2
Commissioner Price said she understands the concerns, but people may have different 3
values about their housing types, and there are only a few days to get this resolved. 4
Chair Dorosin asked if the BOCC can appropriate the money, and adjust if needed. 5
Commissioner Rich asked if the fund balance could be provided, should the BOCC 6
decide to appropriate these funds. 7
Bonnie Hammersley said that the funds are coming from the Land Banking fund, and the 8
County has only spent this money for the first part of the bond. 9
Paul Laughton, Budget Director, said there is $1.7 million left. 10
11
A motion made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to 12
approve the use of funds for the relocation coordination services, and authorize the County 13
Manager, subject to legal review and approval by the County Attorney, to execute any 14
agreements, amendments and renewals to the agreement for the provision of these services. 15
16
Commissioner Jacobs said the golden sheet at their places very specifically says, “5 17
new manufactured homes.” He said he does not support this, but does support Chair Dorosin’s 18
suggestion to look at the same amount of money, with three definitely being mobile homes, and 19
staff working on other options based on need, timing, funds, and available sites. 20
Commissioner Price said her motion was based on the recommendation. 21
Commissioner Jacobs said he is asking if there can be clarification. 22
Chair Dorosin suggested a friendly amendment to the motion to have three units as 23
mobile homes, and use the remaining money for other affordable housing. 24
Bonnie Hammersley said that Board of County Commissioners can simply approve a 25
total amount, not to exceed, without any further specifications. 26
Commissioner Price and Burroughs expressed preference for the Manager’s suggestion. 27
28
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 29
30
Commissioner Jacobs said he would like to follow up on Commissioner Rich’s 31
suggestion of knowing where money is being spent, and what funds remain. 32
Bonnie Hammersley said staff will continue to provide balances to the BOCC as the 33
process moves forward, and this information is typically included in the abstract. 34
Commissioner McKee asked if he could be excused from the meeting for health 35
reasons. 36
37
7. Reports 38
39
a. Orange County Public Transportation Year in Review 40
The Board received Transportation Department updates, accomplishments and annual 41
operating statistics from the prior year. 42
43
BACKGROUND: Orange County Public Transportation (OCPT) is the lead transportation 44
agency for public and human services transportation in central and rural Orange County. 45
46
In addition OCPT provides transportation to qualified Medicaid recipients for transit to: non-47
emergency medical appointments, the workplace, job interviews, job fairs, job readiness 48
activities, or GED classes. 49
50
23
OCPT now operates three fixed routes covering key destination points within the Orange 1
County service area: Hillsborough Circulator, Orange-Chapel Hill Midday Connector and the 2
Orange Alamance Connector. 3
4
OCPT has also provided rural general public transportation on a seat-available basis for many 5
years on three (3) deviated fixed-routes (one Hillsborough area route and two transfer routes 6
from the Chapel Hill area) that are also designed to provide transportation to work opportunities 7
and programs for persons with developmental disabilities. The period of OCPT performance is 8
for 2017 - January 1, 2017 through December 30, 2017. 9
10
Theo Letman, Transportation Director, made the following PowerPoint presentation: 11
12
Orange County Public Transportation 2017 Year in Review 13
14
2017 was the first full year of Orange County Public Transportation being its own department 15
within Orange County Government. 16
17
It was a year full of change: new personnel, new vehicles, new services and amenities, and 18
activities to improve service delivery and boost employee morale. OCPT successfully met 19
challenges along the way and had many noteworthy achievements. 20
21
Here are a few of things your Public Transportation system has accomplished in 2017. 22
23
Personnel 24
Orange County Public Transportation (OCPT) added new personnel in 2017. Starting with its 25
first Transit Director, Theo Letman, who started in January and immediately started to 26
implement change and challenge the new organization to grow into its potential of being a 27
robust county wide transit operation providing safe, customer focused and quality service to ALL 28
of Orange County. 29
30
• With the approval of the Board of County Commissioners 5 full time driver positions were 31
added. Additionally, a full time, Transit Dispatch/ Scheduler became part of the 32
supervisory staff. 33
• Transit Demand Coordinator- Allyson Coltrane was also added to bring awareness of 34
Transit and Mobility options in Orange County. Her efforts to market the service are 35
helping residents learn about transit and hopefully get them moving with transit. 36
• By the end of the year, due to vacated positions, a transit supervisor was promoted and 37
a new Transit Administrator- Teleishia Holloway was added to lead our operation thus 38
rounding out the department management team. 39
• In 2018, we are looking forward to adding a new position in collaboration with Asset 40
management Services, who oversee the maintenance of our fleet. We will soon be 41
adding a Transit Asset Mechanic to meet the growing maintenance and compliance 42
needs of our fleet. 43
44
Service Improvements 45
In 2017 Orange County Public Transportation started a rebranding and marketing effort that 46
resulted in a name change from “OPT” (Orange Public Transit) to OCPT (Orange County Public 47
Transportation) to highlight it as a County-wide Public Transportation Service. 48
49
With the help of the Communications Department, a new logo was adopted to distinguish and 50
provide identity to a transit service that wasn’t visible in the community it serves. Bus schedule 51
24
brochures were also redesigned and introduced to provide clarity of service times and other 1
pertinent information. 2
3
OCPT added three new 28” Light Transit Vehicles (LTV’s), to expand service delivery and 4
replace older vehicles which has long reached their useful life. 5
6
A new route, which had been previously approved, was implemented. The Orange Alamance 7
connector provides midday service from northern Hillsborough out to Cone Health facility in 8
Mebane, then back to southern Hillsborough, and through the heart of the historic downtown 9
area. 10
11
The Department on Aging and OCPT, worked collaboratively, and were able to win a challenge 12
grant awarded by the AARP, and purchase new, innovative bus stop signs called Simme Seats. 13
These bus stop signs provide a seating amenity for patrons waiting on buses. 14
15
Operations and Performance 16
• In 2017 OCPT successfully completed several key compliance audits, enabling us to 17
continue receiving funding and provide key transportation services to constituents. 18
OCPT successfully passed NC DOT compliance and safety audits. 19
• OCPT also passed Department of Aging contractor audits and Department of Social 20
Services audits as a Medicaid contractor, and was successful in becoming certified as a 21
Medicaid provider. 22
23
In an effort to equip our workforce with better skills and training opportunities OCPT became 24
active members of Transit industry organizations such as: APTA (American Public Transit 25
Association), CTAA (Community Transportation Association of America), the National Safety 26
Council, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. 27
28
• Staff also attended various training and industry conferences in Concord, Chapel Hill, 29
Raleigh, NC and Atlanta, GA. We also contracted with a training consultant who 30
provides quarterly, on-site driver skills training, thereby meeting NCDOT training 31
requirements. 32
• To recognize excellence in our workforce we initiated an employee recognition effort: the 33
Employee of the Month program, which recognizes employees who go accident free, 34
have perfect attendance and provided excellent customer service. 35
36
Here are the awardees: 37
George Sellars: September 2017 38
Zenda Corbett: October 2017 39
Steve Guild: November 2017 40
Ken Becker: December 2017 41
Robert Locklear: January 2018 42
43
Public Outreach 44
OCPT staff participated on and provided presentation to various boards: BOCC, Transit 45
Outboard, Go Triangle DO-LRTP Staff Working Group, Chapel Hill Transit BRT Project Group, 46
Burlington-Graham MPO, DCHC MPO, and supporting the Department on Aging Master plan. 47
48
OCPT staff participated and presented at public meetings with civic organizations such as 49
CHALT, the Fairview Community Center, and Cedar Grove Community Center hosting public 50
meetings and forums for the DO-LRT Plan, and the OC Transit Plan. 51
25
1
Statistics and Data 2
2017 Ridership by Route (chart) 3
Annual statistical comparison: 2016 vs. 2017 (chart) 4
5
6
Planning and Projections for 2018 7
• Short Range Transit Planning & Outreach: 8
Nelson\Nygaard, in conjunction with OCPT staff, will develop a 10-year plan that illustrates how 9
OCPT could address future growth scenarios. 10
11
The plan will match the horizon for both Go Triangle and the Wake County Bus Plan. The plan 12
will consider strategic issues such as regional coordination and transit initiatives, future 13
development, and light rail integration. Also being developed will be an implementation plan to 14
prioritize service improvements and identify reasonable stages of implementation over the next 15
10 years and beyond. Recommendations will consider potential implications on staffing, vehicle 16
fleet, capital needs, and state and federal funding. 17
18
Public meetings will be held to discuss the shared needs of OCPT. Consultant group, Nelson-19
Nygaard will coordinate and integrate the results of any internal outreach efforts with the 20
community. Community conversations will also be held to help determine the acceptable 21
balance ridership and coverage in Orange County. 22
23
• Potential Projects: Hillsborough Circulator II 24
Last year, OCPT was contacted by the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning 25
Organization (DCHC MPO) about submitting transit projects for the State Transportation 26
Planning process referred to as SPOT 5.0. 27
28
The Hillsborough Circulator II was submitted because it would provide direct connections to 29
jobs, schools, social services and other points of interests in and around Hillsborough for 30
seniors, disabled, impoverished, minority and car free communities. This route would help 31
alleviate the capacity on the Hillsborough Circulator and potentially exceed its ridership. 32
33
It made it through the process and had been scored favorably by the State. The MPO was 34
charged with providing priority to projects to continue in the process. OCPT was asked to 35
remove the bus project in favor of larger regional efforts. 36
37
This $30K project (for one 28’ LTV) was removed by the DCHC MPO until a future SPOT 38
process, which may start in 2019, thereby meaning the circulator II, if approved, would be 39
operational by 2022. OCPT will continue to seek other sources of funding to implement this 40
route. 41
42
The Orange County Technical Committee representative did not vote in favor of removing the 43
Hillsborough Circulator. 44
45
Chair Dorosin referred to the cost of the vehicle, and said that $30,000 is not a lot of 46
money. 47
Theo Letman said this is the amount the State would pay, and the County pays the 48
balance. 49
Chair Dorosin asked if funds can be taken out of the social justice fund to pay the State’s 50
portion of $30,000. He said this could be discussed during the budget process. 51
26
1
Conclusion: 2
OCPT is on the move and ready to provide SAFE, CUSTOMER FOCUSED, and QUALITY 3
Transportation services for our community, Orange County North Carolina. 4
5
6
Questions 7
8
Commissioner Jacobs asked if the total number of employees could be shared. 9
Theo Letman said 20 currently, and they will be advertising soon. 10
Commissioner Jacobs asked if OCPT is moving toward the automated counting of 11
passengers. 12
Theo Letman said yes. 13
Commissioner Jacobs said it is a significant initial investment, but the County can realize 14
more federal funds in the future. 15
Theo Letman said absolutely. 16
Commissioner Jacobs said at MPO meetings, Orange County does not get as much 17
money as other jurisdictions. He said it is an important investment, and he suggested adding 18
this information to the report. 19
Commissioner Price referred to page 16, and asked if more money is being made and 20
more service hours provided, how the average number of riders per day went down. 21
Theo Letman said this number went down as more days were counted in the 2016-17 22
report. 23
Commissioner Rich asked if there are other needs in the County. 24
Theo Letman said there is a need for more nimble “demand response” services to reach 25
out, such as a transit version of Uber and Lyft. He said currently most demand response 26
services are non-emergency medical transportation, but there are people who want to go 27
shopping or to a job interview; they could subscribe and transit could dispatch. 28
Commissioner Rich asked if there is a method to decide the cost of such rides. 29
Theo Letman said that would be at the discretion of the Board. 30
Commissioner Rich asked if there is currently a fee. 31
Theo Letman said the Hillsborough Circulator has no fee. 32
Commissioner Rich asked if the demand response services have a fee. 33
Theo Letman said there is a fee for these services, which are based on the type of grant 34
received. 35
Commissioner Rich clarified that fixed routes in rural areas are not ideal for 36
transportation. 37
Theo Letman said these routes could be useful, but nimble on-demand services would 38
be better. 39
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the type of event, done in conjunction with CHALT, 40
could be identified. 41
Theo Letman said it was a presentation made by Craig Benedict during the Durham-42
Orange light rail discussion. 43
Chair Dorosin asked, when the department is doing planning and public meetings, if the 44
Hillsborough planning department is involved or will be, due to increased growth. 45
Theo Letman said he would hope so. 46
Chair Dorosin applauded the recognition of employees of the month. He said he would 47
like to talk about the bus. He said the County was asking the State to put in $30,000, and, if 48
granted, the County would incur the rest of the expenses. He asked if there are funds available 49
to cover the $30,000 should the BOCC add this item to the budget. 50
27
Bonnie Hammersley said she cannot answer that question at this time, but this would be 1
a Capital Budget item. She said she will discuss this with Theo Letman during the budget 2
process. 3
Chair Dorosin said this is a one-time expense, which seems applicable to the social 4
justice fund or the fund balance, and this seems to be low hanging fruit. 5
Bonnie Hammersley said that the vehicle cost is actually $90,000, and operational costs 6
would also need to be considered. 7
Chair Dorosin said maybe Hillsborough could kick in some money. 8
Commissioner Price asked if the MPO had approved the grant, would the County still be 9
responsible for the remaining $60,000. 10
Theo Letman said only a portion of it. He said other grant funds would have been 11
available. 12
Commissioner Marcoplos said this is all in the context of how much money the County is 13
willing to spend in addition to the $30,000. He said the notion that a bus route was killed, 14
because $30,000 was not pursued, is erroneous. 15
Commissioner Jacobs asked for an electronic copy of the presentation. 16
Chair Dorosin reminded staff to use double sided copies. 17
18
8. Consent Agenda 19
20
• Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda 21
22
Item b by Commissioner Price. 23
Item f by Chair Dorosin. 24
25
• Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda 26
27
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to 28
approve the remaining items on the Consent Agenda. 29
30
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 31
32
• Discussion of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda 33
34
b. Fiscal Year 2017-18 Budget Amendment #7 35
The Board approved budget, grant, and capital project ordinance amendments for fiscal year 36
2017-18 for the Department of Social Services; Health Department; Library Services; Visitors 37
Bureau; Arts Commission; Criminal Justice Resource Department; Orange County Partnership 38
to End Homelessness; Planning and Inspections Department; and Department of Agriculture, 39
Environment, Parks and Recreation. 40
41
Commissioner Price said she wanted to highlight the great efforts of Café 13 and the 42
Department of Social Service (DSS). 43
44
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to 45
approve the budget, grant, and capital project ordinance amendments for fiscal year 2017-18 for 46
the Department of Social Services; Health Department; Library Services; Visitors Bureau; Arts 47
Commission; Criminal Justice Resource Department; Orange County Partnership to End 48
Homelessness; Planning and Inspections Department; and Department of Agriculture, 49
Environment, Parks and Recreation 50
51
28
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 1
2
h. Letter in Support of the White Cross Volunteer Fire Department’s Grant 3
Application to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program 4
The Board authorized the Chair to sign a letter to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program 5
supporting the White Cross Volunteer Fire Department’s grant request. 6
7
Fire Chief Phillip Nasseri said this is a regional grant, and it is unique that all ten fire 8
departments, EMS and Sheriff’s office can work collaboratively on a training center to train on 9
various emergency services. He said matching funds are also now available, and this has 10
support from many legislators. He said this endorsement will hopefully help secure the grant 11
approved by Homeland Security. He said land has been selected, but it is hoped a better 12
location will be found. 13
14
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Price to 15
approve a letter to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program supporting the White Cross 16
Volunteer Fire Department’s grant request. 17
18
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 19
20
a. Minutes 21
The Board approved the minutes from February 22 and March 8, 2018 as submitted by the 22
Clerk to the Board. 23
24
b. Fiscal Year 2017-18 Budget Amendment #7 25
The Board approved budget, grant, and capital project ordinance amendments for fiscal year 26
2017-18 for the Department of Social Services; Health Department; Library Services; Visitors 27
Bureau; Arts Commission; Criminal Justice Resource Department; Orange County Partnership 28
to End Homelessness; Planning and Inspections Department; and Department of Agriculture, 29
Environment, Parks and Recreation. 30
31
c. Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (SAPFO) – Receipt and Transmittal 32
of 2018 Annual Technical Advisory Committee Report 33
The Board received the 2018 Annual Report of the SAPFO Technical Advisory Committee 34
(SAPFOTAC), and authorized the Chair to sign the transmittal letter and transmit it to the 35
SAPFO partners for comments before certification in May. 36
37
d. Recommendation to Create Two Permanent Full-time Deputy Sheriff I Positions in 38
the Orange County Sheriff’s Office 39
The Board approved the recommendation of funding two full-time permanent Deputy Sheriff I 40
positions, replacing temporary positions at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office currently funded 41
in the FY2017/2018 budget. 42
43
e. University of North Carolina Health Care System Electronic Medical Record 44
System Access Agreement 45
The Board approved an agreement for $127,361 with the University of North Carolina Health 46
Care System (UNCHCS) to obtain the right for the Health Department to access and use 47
UNCHCS’s electronic medical records system, Epic Systems, as a better records system for the 48
Department over its current system and also make the Department compatible with UNCHCS 49
and authorize the Manager to sign. 50
51
29
f. Letter in Support of the White Cross Volunteer Fire Department’s Grant 1
Application to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program 2
The Board authorized the Chair to sign a letter to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program 3
supporting the White Cross Volunteer Fire Department’s grant request. 4
5
g. Approval of Budget Amendment #7-A – Link Government Services Center Lower 6
Level Upfit 7
The Board approved Budget Amendment #7-A to appropriate $160,000 for the Link Government 8
Services Center Lower Level Upfit designed to serve the Judicial District 15-B Public Defender’s 9
office. This work will proceed concurrently with the other remodeling activity for the Human 10
Rights and Relations Department and a shared multipurpose conference room. 11
12
9. County Manager’s Report 13
Bonnie Hammersley reminded the Board of County Commissioners of the joint meeting 14
with Chapel Hill on Thursday at Southern Human Services Center; and the Work Session at 15
Whitted on March 27, with presentation about the Family Success Alliance budget, Economic 16
Development Summit, and Advisory Board and Commissions reporting procedures. 17
18
10. County Attorney’s Report 19
NONE 20
21
12. Information Items 22
23
• March 8, 2018 BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions List 24
• Memo Regarding Online Interactive Tool - Transportation Projects Map and Website 25
Update 26
27
13. Closed Session 28
NONE 29
30
14. Adjournment 31
32
A motion was made by Commissioner Burroughs, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to 33
adjourn the meeting at 10:20 p.m. 34
35
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 36
37
Mark Dorosin, Chair 38
39
Sherri Ingersoll 40
Assistant Deputy Clerk II 41
1
Attachment 2 1
2
DRAFT MINUTES 3
JOINT MEETING 4
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 5
CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL 6
March 22, 2018 7
7:00 p.m. 8
9
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met with the Town of Chapel Hill for a joint 10
meeting on Thursday, March 22, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in 11
Chapel Hill, N.C. 12
13
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Vice Chair Penny Rich and Commissioners Mia 14
Burroughs, Barry Jacobs, Earl McKee, Mark Marcoplos and Renee Price 15
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Chair Mark Dorosin 16
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts 17
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager 18
Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified 19
appropriately below) 20
CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS/STAFF PRESENT: Mayor Pam Hemminger, and 21
Members Jessica Anderson, Donna Bell, Alan Buansi, Hongbin Gu, Nancy Oates, Rachel 22
Schaevitz, Michael Parker, Karen Stegman, and Town Manager Roger Stancil 23
CHAPEL HILLTOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: None 24
25
Commissioner Rich called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. 26
27
Welcome and Opening Remarks 28
Commissioner Rich said Chair Dorosin would not be present tonight, as he is not feeling 29
well. 30
Commissioner Rich asked all present to introduce themselves, and to share where they 31
were born. 32
Mayor Hemminger said it is National Water Day, and said there was a Jordan Lake 33
symposium today. She said the Haw River comes into the southern part of the lake, 34
contributing over 85% of the nutrient loading that is going into the lake; and it comes in and 35
flushes up the lake, all the way to the northern end. 36
Commissioner Rich said the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) needs to add a 37
closed session at the end of the meeting. 38
39
A motion was made by Commissioner Burroughs, seconded by Commissioner 40
Marcoplos to add a closed session at the end of the meeting for the purpose of: 41
42
“To consult with an attorney employed or retained by the public body in order to preserve the 43
attorney-client privilege between the attorney and the public body,” NCGS 143-318.11(a)(3) 44
45
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 46
47
Commissioner Rich noted the following items at their places: 48
- Handout for Item 1 49
- Handout for Item 2-a 50
2
- Handout for Item 4-b 1
- Handout for Item 5-g 2
3
1. Duke Energy-Neighborhood Energy Saver Program 4
5
Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:11 p.m. 6
7
Bonnie Hammersley introduced Indira Everett, the District Manager for Government & 8
Community Relations for Chatham, Durham, Lee and Orange Counties, who then introduced 9
Valencia Roner, Program Manager-Duke Energy. 10
Valencia Roner made the following PowerPoint presentation: 11
12
Neighborhood Energy Saver Program 13
March 22, 2018 14
Energy Saver Program 15
• An energy efficiency program targeting DEC’s income-qualifying customers 16
• Delivered by neighborhood segments 17
• Provides each resident: 18
1. Home energy assessment 19
2. Installation of several energy conservation measures (ECMs) 20
3. Energy education that will enable the residents to make behavioral changes to 21
reduce and control energy usage 22
NES Target Market –Eligibility 23
Eligible neighborhoods are those defined segments of Duke Energy customers where 24
approximately 50% of the households have incomes equal to or less than 200% of the federal 25
poverty level*. 26
*Federal Poverty Income Guidelines issued by the US DOE 27
28
NES Energy Conservation Measures 29
LED/Energy Efficient Bulbs (15) 30
Water Heater Wrap* & Insulation for Water Pipes 31
Water heater temperature check & adjustment 32
Low Flow Faucet Aerator (2) 33
Low Flow Showerhead (2) 34
Wall Plate Thermometer 35
AC Winterization Kit (3) 36
A year’s supply of HVAC filters 37
Change Filter Calendar 38
Air Infiltration Reduction Measures 39
Neighborhood Kick-Off Event 40
NES 41
Chapel Hill Neighborhood Collaborators 42
43
NES Kick-Off Events 44
April 10th – 6:30-8pm at Hargraves Community Center 45
Residents Receive: 46
• Free catered meal 47
• Demonstration on the FREE energy savings products they’ll receive when participating 48
• Four changes to win a $25 gift card 49
• FREE events childcare 50
3
1
Crew Installs the Energy Measures and Explains Energy Savings 2
Small Business Energy Saver Program 3
Small Business Energy Saver offers turn-key energy efficiency upgrades with significant 4
discounts exclusively for small business customers. 5
The program offers: 6
A free, no obligation energy assessment 7
Specific energy-saving recommendations for small businesses 8
Complete, upfront coverage for up to 80 percent of all materials and installation costs 9
Convenient installation scheduled around the small business’s needs 10
Interest-free financing availability 11
12
SBES Program Details 13
• Eligibility 14
o Non-residential customer accounts with average annual demand of 100kW or 15
less 16
• Measures 17
o Lighting (T5 and T8 fluorescents, LEDs: interior and exterior) 18
o Refrigeration (improvements for small groceries and convenience stores) 19
• Incentive 20
o Up to 80%: Based on est. kWh savings vs. project cost 21
• Program Administrator: lime energy 22
23
Commissioner Price asked if long-term sustainability is possible, and if services are 24
provided more than once. 25
Valencia Roner said the information that is provided will hopefully encourage the 26
customers to engage and be proactive. She said neighborhoods are hit once, and not again. 27
She said sometimes a resident may miss out, and staff will be dispatched back out on a per 28
request basis. She said there are other energy efficiency programs of which residents can take 29
advantage, including a lighting program that will provide free light bulbs every 4 to 5 years. 30
Commissioner Price said she was more concerned about weatherization, as these are 31
lower wealth neighborhoods that may not be able to maintain repairs or up fits. 32
Valencia Roner said the average cost of labor and installation is below $300. She said if 33
a home has greater weatherization needs, the customer will be referred to the state 34
weatherization agency. She said there is also a weatherization program that is in the process 35
of identifying ways to reach customers that would not necessarily apply on their own. 36
Council Member Buansi asked if there are any outreach efforts regarding the small 37
business energy savers program. 38
Valencia Roner said no, not for this program. She said any small businesses that are 39
interested in learning more are referred to the program manager, who will follow up. 40
Indira Everett said the program manager for this program often attends Chamber of 41
Commerce expos, and talks with many small business owners. 42
Mayor Hemminger said she looks forward to the community meeting in the Northside 43
neighborhood. 44
Commissioner Rich said April 10th is a Board of County Commissioners meeting, and 45
the Board will not be able to attend the neighborhood meeting, but may be able to send a staff 46
person. 47
48
2. Update on Major Projects Developments 49
50
4
a) Carraway Village/Glen Lennox/Wegmans/Eastowne/Blue Hill District (Formerly the 1
Ephesus Fordham Area) 2
Ben Hitchings, Chapel Hill Director of Planning and Development Services, reviewed the 3
following information: 4
5
Carraway Village- 6
MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT 7
Location: 3000 Eubanks Rd., between MLK Jr. Blvd. and Millhouse Road 8
Description: Phase 1A - Demo, clearing and grading, erosion control 9
Phase 1B - Buildings 1-11, including 400 dwelling units and 8,844 s.f. of commercial FA. 10
Approvals: Special Use Permit approved in 2015; Zoning Compliance Permit approved for 11
Phase 1A and 1B in 2016. 12
Status: Building construction is on-going and the first units are anticipated to open in late 13
summer/early fall of 2018. 14
Approved Development: 15
Total area: 54 acres 16
Total: 600k – 935k sq. ft. 17
Residential: 400k-701k sq. ft. 18
Commercial: 140k-416k sq. ft. 19
Office: 60k-270k sq. ft. 20
21
Glen Lennox- 22
DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT COMPLIANCE PERMIT 23
Location: South of Brandon Road and east of Fordham Blvd. 24
Description: Development of 215 apartment units in a 4-story building, in accordance with the 25
Glen Lennox Development Agreement. An internally wrapped parking deck will be provided to 26
serve the apartments and future office building. The project includes construction of a new 27
road, Glen Lennox Drive, which will connect Fordham Boulevard with Maxwell Road, and 28
dedicated left turn lanes with signalization will be provided on south-bound Fordham Boulevard. 29
Status: The permit was approved in September and construction is anticipated to begin in 30
spring of 2018. Submittal of a Development Agreement Compliance Permit to permit an office 31
building directly adjacent to the apartment building is anticipated in spring of 2018. 32
33
Wegmans Food Market– is a collaborative effort 34
SPECIAL USE PERMIT 35
Location: 125 Old Durham Road 36
Description: 130,000 sq. ft. floor area; 750 parking spaces; existing zoning Community 37
Commercial and Neighborhood Commercial-Conditional. Access to the site via Old Durham 38
Road and ingress only via 15-501 Service Road. 39
Status: Council approved Special Use Permit in October 2017. Town will be issuing permit 40
shortly to allow demolition and rough grading. Site work is currently expected to begin in late 41
summer of 2018, with construction on the store to begin in the fall of 2018, and completion 42
expected in the spring of 2020. 43
44
Commissioner Jacobs said the Town of Chapel Hill signed onto the resource material 45
recovery ordinance, and asked if he can assume that “demolition” means a preference of 46
deconstruction first, and then demolition; or if demolition is immediately pursued, despite the 47
ordinance. 48
5
Ben Hitchings said he is not familiar with this ordinance, but there is some site mitigation 1
that is part of the initial clearing and demolition of the project. He said the buildings are mostly 2
concrete, but he does not know what the deconstruction potential would be. 3
Commissioner Jacobs said the concrete is eminently deconstructable, and the 4
ordinance says that they have 30 days to deconstruct before demolishing. He referred Chapel 5
Hill to that ordinance. 6
Ben Hitchings said he can check into this ordinance, and will send a follow up to the 7
Board. 8
9
Eastowne- 10
SPECIAL USE PERMIT 11
Location: 100 & 600 Eastowne Drive 12
Description: Applicant request to demolish four existing office buildings and construct one 13
medical office building totaling 150,000 square feet with structured parking. 14
Status: Applicant presented concept plan to Town Council in January 2018. Applicant 15
submitted Special Use Permit application in March 2018. Possible decision by Town Council in 16
June 2018. 17
18
Blue Hill District- 19
Fordham Blvd Apartments 20
FORM DISTRICT PERMIT 21
Location: 1300 Fordham Blvd. 22
Description: The existing Days Inn Hotel is proposed to be demolished and replaced by one 23
building, split into two sections by a pedestrian walkway, pass-through, and driveway. The 24
southern portion of building, closer to S. Elliott Road is proposed to be six stories. 294,593 25
square feet, 273 dwelling units. The property is zoned Walkable Mixed-Use- 7 (WX-7). 26
Status: The Community Design Commission issued a Certificate of Appropriateness in October 27
2017, and the Town Manager issued a Form District Permit in December 2017. The Town is 28
working with applicant on public-private partnership to construct stormwater storage and park 29
amenity. Construction is expected to begin in March 2018. 30
31
Hillstone Project 32
FORM DISTRICT PERMIT 33
Location: 1736 Fordham Blvd. (6.5 acre “bow tie” site, including former Crown Honda/Volvo 34
dealership). 35
Description: Approved project that includes two buildings with 328 dwelling units. The zoning is 36
Walkable Mixed Use–5 and -7 (WX-5 and 7). The project includes the construction of a new 37
street connecting the Fordham Blvd. service road and Legion Rd, streetscape improvements on 38
all three streets, and stormwater management and treatment features. 39
Status: Town Manager issued a Form District Permit in October 2017. Construction is expected 40
to begin in March 2018. 41
42
Tru Hotel/Quality Inn Redevelopment 43
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS 44
Location: 1740 Fordham Blvd. (site of Hong Kong Buffet and Quality Inn) 45
Description: A proposal to build a 97-room Tru (Hilton) Hotel at the Hong Kong Buffet site in a 46
multi-phase development. Additional phases are anticipated to include a 100-room hotel and a 47
260-unit multi-family development. The property is zoned WX-5 and WX-7. The property is 48
adjacent to the Hillstone development. 49
6
Status: The application was presented to the Community Design Commission in February 1
2018. A Form District Permit application has not yet been submitted. 2
3
4
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the impact on the light rail station sites could be 5
provided. He asked if projected population growth and/or potential light rail riders are being 6
tracked. 7
Ben Hitchings said there is no tracking mechanism in place currently, but he and Craig 8
Benedict, Orange County Planning Director, are working on this. He said they have been 9
actively talking with UNC Healthcare about how to connect Eastowne across 15-501 to the 10
planned Gateway station. 11
Commissioner Price asked if the income levels for most of these housing units are 12
known. 13
Ben Hitchings said the two Blue Hill projects are multi-family projects that are rentals, 14
but the lease rates are unknown. He said most projects are middle to upper middle class 15
projects. 16
Council Member Oates referred to the Tru Hotel project, and asked if there is a second 17
phase to this project with more apartments and offices. 18
Ben Hitchings said yes, the Tru Hotel is phase one. He said there is another 100-room 19
hotel, as well as a 260-unit multi family project that will be contemplated in future phases, but 20
there are no concrete details as yet. 21
Council Member Oates asked if the two phases would have separate developers. 22
Ben Hitchings said he is not sure at this time, and will get more information to the 23
boards. 24
Council Member Oates asked if stormwater mitigation would also be done in phases. 25
Ben Hitchings said yes. 26
Commissioner Rich referred to Glen Lennox, and said she was on the Town Council in 27
2009 when this was approved, and is glad to see this moving forward. She referred to the light 28
rail, and building density around the stations. She said the Town seems to be working on this, 29
and she would like to see some affordable housing around the stations as well. 30
Ben Hitchings said Planning staff is working closely the Housing and Community staff to 31
pursue affordability opportunities, especially around the light rail stations. 32
Commissioner Rich asked if he would please keep the BOCC informed. 33
Commissioner Price asked if Chapel Hill has any requirements for affordable units within 34
new housing developments. 35
Mayor Hemminger said the State law prohibits the Town from doing this with rentals, but 36
there is inclusionary zoning of 15% for owner occupied. She said the Town always tries to 37
negotiate with developers to secure affordable rentals, but cannot require them. 38
Council Member Bell said there is an affordable housing component with the Carraway 39
Village and Glen Lennox projects. She said most developers are providing payment-in-lieu at 40
this time, and the Town is working hard to increase the number of affordable units. 41
Mayor Hemminger said the Town failed to mention the DHIC project. 42
Ben Hitchings said this project is Greenfield Place and Greenfield Commons, a nice 43
partnership between the Town and the non-profit, affordable housing developer, DHIC. He said 44
this project will provide a total of 149 units, and is currently in the middle of the second phase, 45
of 60 senior units. 46
Commissioner Rich said the hotel on Fordham Blvd, near Elliot Road, recently came 47
down, and asked if any of this was deconstructed or just demolished. 48
Ben Hitchings said he does not know. 49
50
7
b) Millhouse Road Property Analysis - Travis Myren 1
2
Travis Myren reviewed the following information: 3
The Board of Orange County Commissioners has allocated $2 million in the County’s Capital 4
Budget to address preservation and retention of manufactured homes parks and/or to assist in 5
the acquisition of property and land banking for future residential development as an affordable 6
housing alternative. Following the establishment of the land banking program, local housing 7
partners, including Orange County and the Town of Chapel Hill, began evaluating opportunities 8
and obstacles in redeveloping an existing manufactured home park or developing new 9
affordable housing units to address the needs of park residents at risk. A summary of the 10
results from the Mobile Home Park Survey Report were presented to County and Town elected 11
officials during the Assembly of Governments meeting in January. 12
13
Due to the potential redevelopment of existing manufactured home communities in the Town of 14
Chapel Hill, Orange County is exploring the opportunity to locate displaced manufactured home 15
park residents on County-owned property near the town. One site identified for a potential 16
manufactured home park is the Millhouse Road Park site. This 78-acre site, comprised of two 17
parcels, is zoned RB (Rural Buffer). 18
19
On January 23, 2018, the Board of Orange County Commissioners authorized staff to proceed 20
with a rezoning process as well as appropriate site investigations to determine whether this 21
property is able to accommodate affordable housing for displaced residents. Because of the 22
property’s location in the Rural Buffer, it is bound by density limitations detailed within the Joint 23
Planning Land Use Plan. These density regulations limit residential development to one 24
dwelling unit per two acres of property. As part of the rezoning effort, Orange County will 25
pursue the recombination of the two parcels which make up the 78-acre Millhouse Road Park 26
site which would allow for clustering home sites and allowing the balance of the property to be 27
used for park purposes. The County is also exploring community water and sewer solutions that 28
could be used as an alternative to extending public lines to the site since it is outside of the area 29
where public water and sewer service may be installed. 30
31
The Millhouse Road Park site is within the “Joint Courtesy Review Area”, as designated by the 32
Joint Planning Agreement. As such, both the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill will have an 33
opportunity to review the rezoning proposal and offer recommendations. The County may not 34
formally adopt the proposed zoning amendment until the Towns have made recommendations 35
or until the expiration of forty-five (45) days following the referral of the rezoning proposal, 36
whichever occurs first. The County also recognizes that access to public transportation will be 37
important to the viability of this site as an affordable housing community. The County is 38
committed to working with the Town of Chapel Hill to establish safe and effective public transit 39
access to the site. 40
41
The County has retained site consultants to complete the site examination and development 42
cost estimates. The results of these studies will be presented to the Board of Orange County 43
Commissioners for direction prior to the summer break. 44
45
Council Member Buansi asked if the number of acres in the joint planning review area 46
could be identified. 47
Craig Benedict said there are over 30,000 acres in the joint planning area, but only 48
about 70-80 acres in the Carrboro-Chapel Hill joint planning courtesy review area. 49
8
Commissioner Rich asked if this answered the question, or if Council Member Buansi 1
was seeking more specifics about the acreage on Millhouse Road. 2
Council Member Buansi said yes. 3
Commissioner Rich asked if it is the entire Millhouse Road property in the joint planning 4
area. 5
Craig Benedict said yes, all 78 acres of Orange County owned land is in the joint 6
courtesy review area, and is zoned rural buffer. He said the zoning in this area is one unit per 2 7
acres, and the rural buffer allows that to be collapsed down with a cluster configuration, but no 8
more than 39 units would be allowed. He said the low 30s is most likely, on 8-10 acres. 9
Commissioner Price asked if a map could be provided to the BOCC and the Town, to 10
offer greater clarity. 11
Craig Benedict said yes. 12
13
c) Eubanks Road Waste and Recycling Center 14
Bonnie Hammersley said Solid Waste Director Robert Williams was unable to attend, so 15
she presented the following information below: 16
17
The Eubanks Road Solid Waste & Recycling Center improvement project includes the 18
modernization of the existing Waste & Recycling Center and the relocation of the main landfill 19
entrance and scale house from the south side of Eubanks Road to the north side of Eubanks 20
Road. The improvements are part of an approved long range plan to establish two district 21
centers with increased services and extended hours which are complemented by neighborhood 22
centers that are smaller and offer fewer services but are conveniently located throughout the 23
County. 24
25
Eubanks Road is the second of the planned district centers. The improvements increase the 26
center’s size and capacity and offer customers one stop service. The $3.1 million dollar project 27
includes the addition of five (5) 40 cubic yard stationary compactors for trash and mixed 28
recyclables, two (2) larger stationary compactors for bulky waste, food waste composting, 29
cooking oil recycling, textile recycling, plastic bag recycling, and a number of other services 30
including mattress drop-off and hazardous waste recycling. With the addition of the 31
compactors, the department will save on fuel and maintenance costs over the life of the center. 32
The center offers safer unloading for users and a better experience due to the newly paved 33
user area. The center also has bio-retention and dry retention stormwater ponds for modern 34
flow control and treatment of stormwater runoff. Finally, moving the scales will result in much 35
safer traffic flow for the commercial and residential customers who use them. 36
37
After a year of construction, the grand opening is set for April 17, 2018 at 2:00 PM. 38
Following the opening, the temporary site on Millhouse Road will close as well as the 39
Household Hazardous Waste facility on the south side of Eubanks Road. 40
41
d) Southern Branch Library 42
Travis Myren said Jeff Thompson, Orange County Asset Management Services 43
Director, had an obligation and could not be here tonight, and he reviewed the following 44
information: 45
46
The County has authorized approximately $6.4 million to construct a library facility in the Town 47
of Carrboro. The facility will be located at 203 South Greensboro Street. 48
The County and the Town of Carrboro have entered into a Development Agreement to co-49
locate some Town offices with the County library facility on this site. A design firm has been 50
9
selected to negotiate a professional services agreement for this project. Negotiations with the 1
selected design firm are expected to be complete before the summer break. Design for the 2
facility will occur through the fall of 2018. Construction is anticipated to start in the winter of 3
2019 and be completed in the spring of 2021. 4
5
e) Southern County Campus 6
Travis Myren reviewed the following information: 7
8
The Board of Orange County Commissioners authorized the first phase of remodeling and 9
expansion of the Southern County Campus in FY2017-18. This campus includes the Seymour 10
Senior Center and the Southern Human Services Center facilities. The first phase of the project 11
includes an expansion of the Seymour Center, straightening the roadway entrance, and adding 12
parking space for the Seymour Center. The Board of Orange County Commissioners is 13
scheduled to review the schematic design of Phase 1 in June of 2018. Development design and 14
construction documents are anticipated to be complete in the winter of 2018, and construction 15
is anticipated to be complete is the late winter of 2020. The Town of Chapel Hill planning staff 16
will complete a technical review of the design documents as governed by the master plan 17
special use permit. 18
19
The second phase of this project includes remodeling the existing Southern Human 20
Services Center to improve the health and dental clinic areas and office spaces occupied by the 21
Department of Social Services. Construction of the second phase is scheduled to begin in 22
FY2019-20. 23
24
3. Discussion on Improving Collaboration on Gateway Area Planning 25
26
Ben Hitchings reviewed the following slide from the PowerPoint presentation from Item 27
2-a, and reviewed a graphic rendering of the area: 28
29
Collaboration in Gateway Area 30
Proposed Coordination: 31
• Regular updates 32
• Periodic discussions through Durham-Chapel Hill-Orange Work Group (DRCHO) 33
• Staff coordination as needed 34
35
o Station Area 36
o State Employees Credit Union (SECU) area: to be redeveloped, plans 37
yet to come 38
o Wegmans 39
o Edge of Blue Hill District Area 40
41
Ben Hitchings said there is a desire to connect these projects appropriately. He said 42
regular updates will be provided to the County, as well as to generate some statistics on 43
anticipated property tax revenues. 44
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the Durham/Orange County line could be identified on 45
the map. 46
Ben Hitchings pointed it out. 47
Commissioner Marcoplos said the boundary means that the Durham County 48
developable area for the Gateway station is bounded by I-40. 49
Ben Hitchings said yes. 50
10
Commissioner Marcoplos said there is no particular boundary on the Orange County 1
side, but rather how far one wants to walk. 2
Ben Hitchings said yes, and how property owners decide to use property consistent with 3
the Town’s standards and approval processes. 4
Commissioner Marcoplos said it would be inaccurate for one to say that Durham has the 5
lion’s share of the developable area around the station. 6
Ben Hitchings said some of the land around the station will be needed for parking, the 7
platform, etc. He said there is a decent split between the two counties. 8
Commissioner Marcoplos said he would go further and say this is a great opportunity for 9
Orange County, and that Orange County has more opportunity for development. 10
Commissioner Rich said that is a good point and this has been discussed. She said the 11
Durham-Chapel Hill-Orange (DCHO) work group will share updates, and development on the 12
two sides of the County line could complement each other more. 13
Commissioner Jacobs asked if Ben Hitchings will notify the BOCC of updates on 14
meetings. 15
Ben Hitchings said yes, and will try to find a mechanism to update both the Town and 16
the County on these projects as they move forward. 17
Commissioner Jacobs said the agreement with Go Triangle states that Orange County 18
and Durham County will be participants in the planning of the Gateway station; not getting 19
updates, but being notified of when meetings will occur, and participating in them. 20
Ben Hitchings said there has been increasing coordination in recent months, and County 21
staff and Commissioner Marcoplos have attended recent planning meetings. 22
Commissioner Jacobs asked if the Durham County Commissioners are present at these 23
meetings. 24
Ben Hitchings said not at the station area planning meetings, but they have been 25
engaged on this topic through the DCHO work group. 26
Commissioner Jacobs said the County has been talking about this with GoTriangle for 27
half a year and the agreement stipulated that Orange and Durham Counties would be parties to 28
the discussions of the planning of the Gateway station. He said Durham is being short changed 29
if it is not being invited. 30
Ben Hitchings said Durham can be included. 31
Commissioner Jacobs said he has heard this before. He said he is glad that 32
Commissioner Marcoplos attended, but he did this on his own recognizance. 33
Commissioner Price clarified that the Durham Board of County Commissioners did not 34
attend, and asked if the Durham City Council attended. 35
Ben Hitchings said no, the Durham City Council has not attended the station area 36
planning meetings. He said the City Council does have representation on DCHO. 37
Commissioner Price referred to Commissioner Marcoplos’ comment that Durham and 38
Orange County are receiving equal share for the light rail, and asked if he meant just the for the 39
Gateway Station, or for the whole project. 40
Commissioner Marcoplos said just for the Gateway Station. 41
42
4. Collaborative Economic Development Efforts & Challenges 43
44
a) Launch 45
46
Dwight Bassett, Chapel Hill Economic Development Director, said 35,000 square feet of 47
co-working space was added last year, and is beginning to fill up. He said this operation is five 48
years old. He said the Town and the County have invested about $400,000 over the last five 49
year, with a return of $12 million. He reviewed the following statistics: 50
11
• 1124 jobs created 1
• $12.75 million in funding in 2017, $20 million in annual revenue from the 62% of 2
the companies that continue to operate 3
• Graduated 75 companies, and 46 continue to be in operation – 10 of these 4
companies are in downtown Chapel Hill, and are contributing about $100,000 to 5
the downtown economy 6
• 5 years of success have brought national attention 7
• Entrepreneur magazine designated Chapel Hill as one of the top 5 8
entrepreneurial cities in the US 9
• Chapel Hill is one of the top 5 university-facilitated accelerators in the US 10
11
Dwight Bassett said he meets with every cohort, and encourages the businesses to 12
remain in Orange County and to contact and work with the Economic Development offices 13
directly. 14
Mayor Hemminger said the Town has an Innovation Council for entrepreneurs, and 15
there is a great deal of entrepreneurship in the community that is not connected to the 16
University. 17
Commissioner Price said she hopes the Town and the County can continue to work 18
together to keep these growing businesses in Orange County, as opposed to moving 19
elsewhere. 20
Mayor Hemminger said Dwight Bassett and Steve Brantley, Orange County Economic 21
Development Director, encourage this. 22
23
b) Arts 24
Background: The nationwide Arts and Economic Prosperity Survey 5 confirmed that the 25
nonprofit arts sector of Orange County is an annual $130 million industry that generates $5 26
million for local government and draws almost two million attendees each year. 27
Despite this impact and the large number of artists who call Orange County home, the local arts 28
industry is missing key components needed to grow and sustain a thriving, authentic arts 29
culture. The Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC) has recently concluded research to 30
determine these areas of need. By working in collaboration with town staff, local officials, and 31
area arts organizations, the OCAC plans to begin work to address these identified challenges, 32
resulting in a healthier arts industry and an even greater economic impact. 33
34
Katie Murray, Arts Commission Director, made the following PowerPoint presentation: 35
36
The State of the Arts in Orange County 37
38
ECONOMIC IMPACT of the Arts 39
• $130.3 Million in Spending in 2015 40
• Arts Attendees: 1.9 Million in 2015 41
42
ARTS and GOVERNMENT 43
• Total revenue generated for local government in 2015: $5.3 Million 44
• Total revenue generated for state government in 2015: $7.1 Million 45
46
ARTS and TOURISM 47
• Audiences: Local vs. Non-local 48
49
12
ARTS and EMPLOYMENT 1
AEP5: The non-profit arts industry generates an estimated 5001 full time equivalent jobs and 2
$105,151,000 in resident household income 3
4
HOW do we COMPARE? 5
Hillsborough 6
• 3rd, cities with population less than 10k 7
Carrboro 8
• 4th, cities with population 15-25k 9
Chapel Hill 10
• 1st, cities with population 50-70k 11
Orange County 12
• 1st, counties with population 100-200k 13
• One of only two NC counties with populations less than 250k to rank in Top 10 NC 14
Counties 15
16
CHALLENGES of the arts community 17
• Why do artists leave the County to exhibit and perform? 18
• Why is there a lack of arts infrastructure? 19
• Why isn’t there more county-wide collaboration? 20
Our Research: 21
1. MEETINGS! 22
2. Listening Sessions 23
• Nine Sessions (180 Participants) 24
3. Paper & Electronic Surveys 25
• Six versions (184 responses) 26
27
#1 Advocacy: Serve as the “Voice” of the arts. 28
Primary current issue: SPACE! 29
• Short-term: County space assessment 30
• Long-term: Feasibility of a freestanding arts/cultural center, showcasing the spirit 31
of Orange County: the intersection of arts, agriculture/ culinary arts, and 32
history. 33
34
#2 Support our artists and arts organizations. 35
• Artists & Arts Orgs 36
• OCAC: Provide a Strong Foundation 37
#3 Connect the arts community. 38
• Unite the arts community through events and collaborative programs 39
#4 Promote the arts 40
41
• Serve as a one-stop source of information for anything arts related in Orange County. 42
Promote the arts of Orange County through traditional and media sources. 43
#5 Find more financial support for the arts. 44
• Identify a new public source of funding designated for the arts, similar to other Public 45
Arts Commissions. (UNC Capstone) 46
• New funds will allow new programs, better organizational support and support for 47
(future) arts infrastructure. 48
49
13
OUR GOAL 1
Local Arts Agencies: 2
The Foundation of a Strong Arts Community 3
Primary granting agency for the arts 4
o Offers arts programming 5
o Ensures arts accessibility and engagement 6
o Provides artists and organizations support 7
o Manages public arts programs 8
Supports, advances, and unites arts community 9
Manages cultural arts facilities 10
Serves as a leader in community cultural planning 11
Advocates on behalf of the arts community 12
Develops partnerships within community 13
14
WHAT TO REMEMBER 15
The Arts Mean Business! 16
More investment = more tourism, spending, jobs, and government revenue! 17
18
Commissioner McKee asked if there could be clarification regarding the wording, 19
“identify a new public source of funding.” 20
Katie Murray said most public arts commissions are funded through an allotment for the 21
arts, for example Raleigh has a $5 allotment per capita and Cary has a $1 allotment; or through 22
an admission tax or a sin tax (cigarettes, soda, etc.). She said the Orange County budget is 23
solely funded by the occupancy tax, and other options are being researched. She said the 24
current budget is about $20,000, after grant funds and personnel expenses, which is not much 25
with which to work. 26
Council Member Oates asked if the Town were to find space would there be County 27
funds to help. 28
Katie Murray said she cannot answer that at this time, but in her opinion for an arts 29
facility to be recognized as a truly countywide facility, it needs to be outside the bounds of the 30
municipalities. She said it also unlikely that any of the towns have space large enough to 31
accommodate the needs of such a facility. 32
Council Member Parker said he would like to compare Orange County/Chapel Hill with 33
its peer cities regarding arts budgets. He said it seems like there is a lot of bang for very little 34
money here, but he would like to know what other areas are spending on the arts. 35
Katie Murray said she has that information. 36
Council Member Buansi asked if there is a sense of the demographics at the meetings 37
that have been held. 38
Katie Murray said the demographics were varied in age and geography, but not in race. 39
She said diversity is needed on the Arts Board to change that in the community. 40
Commissioner Price said she questioned some of the statistics in the PowerPoint, in 41
regards to the numbers. She asked if there is anyway to insure accuracy of numbers, and not 42
count a person more than once. 43
Katie Murray said in that regards, the repeating of attendees does not matter, as 44
audience spending is determined by averages. 45
Commissioner Price said she is more concerned about the number of people in 46
attendance. 47
Katie Murray said attendance numbers come from the organizational surveys, not the 48
audience surveys. She said the organizational survey is very detailed, and goes out to all the 49
organizations. She said the amount of money spent is worked out in averages. 50
14
Commissioner Price said she is not talking about the dollars, but rather wanted to know 1
about the number of people attending events. 2
Mayor Hemminger said the dollars are more important than the number of people. 3
Commissioner Price said she wanted more accurate numbers, and if there are more 4
people coming in for the arts, as opposed to double counting the same attendees. 5
Council Member Schaevitz asked if the Arts Commission collaborates with University of 6
North Carolina (UNC), as well as non-UNC events. 7
Katie Murray said when she joined Orange County, she often heard about the lack of 8
collaboration with UNC. She said there has been discussion, and active pursuit of collaboration 9
with UNC. She said the Commission is working with UNC on its “Arts Everywhere” day that will 10
occur on April 6. She said it has been a very encouraging process. 11
Katie Murray said UNC has an arts app that tells everything arts related that is occurring 12
on campus. She said the Commission might partner with UNC to expand this to offer 13
countywide arts information in the future. She said this would be a massive undertaking. 14
Council Member Gu said she does not see many large festivals in Orange County, but 15
does see many in Raleigh and Cary, some of which are multi-day events, bringing in revenue 16
for local businesses. She asked if anything similar is planned in Orange County. 17
Katie Murray said the bulk of her background is in festival planning, and she loves 18
festivals, but they take a lot of thought and planning. She said the upcoming Local Fest in the 19
fall has the potential to grow. She said the “Near and Far” festival on April 8th will be the first 20
international festival in Orange County. 21
Commissioner Jacobs asked Katie Murray if she has found Orange County sees the 22
arts as an economic development driver. 23
Katie Murray said Orange County takes the arts as an economic driver very seriously, 24
and the fact that she is a County employee is a testament to that. She said any needs that 25
exist stems from the lack of a unified voice for Orange County, and once this happens the arts 26
will grow in Orange County. 27
28
c) Infrastructure - no materials provided. 29
Travis Myren said this item is intended to provide the Boards with an opportunity to raise 30
questions or initiate a discussion on water and sewer, transportation, or other infrastructure 31
improvements. 32
Mayor Hemminger said the Town and County staffs have been collaborating on many of 33
these issues. 34
Travis Myren said the Rogers Road sewer project is a collaborative effort, which is more 35
than 30% complete in construction. 36
Mayor Hemminger asked if there is an estimated completion date. 37
Travis Myren said at the end of 2018. 38
39
5. Affordable Housing Update 40
41
a) Chapel Hill Dashboard 42
Loryn Clark, Chapel Hill Executive Director of Housing and Community reviewed the 43
information below: 44
The Town has developed a new Affordable Housing Dashboard, a dynamic, interactive tool to 45
track progress towards the Town’s affordable housing goals and provide users with information 46
about the Town’s investment in affordable housing throughout the community. The current 47
Dashboard tool builds on the affordable housing data reported to the Town Council through our 48
Affordable Housing Quarterly Report. The Town continues to build the Dashboard to include 49
15
further affordable housing information and increase the community’s knowledge and ability to 1
explore the Town’s affordable housing work. 2
3
Council Member Parker asked if it would be possible to get a map of the different 4
groups that have a role to play in affordable housing. 5
Loryn Clark said yes. 6
Commissioner Rich said she hears feedback from the public that there is poor 7
collaboration between the various governments. She asked if the many collaborative efforts 8
that actually do exist could be better promoted to the public. 9
Loryn Clark said yes that can be done, because there are multiple ways everyone is 10
working together. 11
Sherrill Hampton, Orange County Housing Director, agreed. 12
Commissioner Price said it might also be good to show the successful results of these 13
collaborations. 14
Council Member Anderson asked if this meeting is a place to brainstorm more ways to 15
collaborate. 16
Mayor Hemminger said one success story is the CASA project, which has County bond 17
money going towards it. She said Chapel Hill waives development fees for affordable housing, 18
and is participating in this project, along with the Town of Carrboro. 19
Loryn Clark said the CASA project is an example of the various planning departments 20
working together through the permitting process. 21
Commissioner Rich said it would be a good idea to get a matrix of all the areas of 22
collaboration to have at the next Assembly of Governments (AOG) meeting for further 23
discussion. She said Hillsborough, Carrboro and the Orange County portion of Mebane should 24
be included. 25
Council Member Anderson said that sounds like a good idea, but there are things on this 26
evening’s agenda that could benefit not only f rom an update, but from a sharing of ideas as 27
well. She said she does not know if this evening’s meeting is intended for discussion. 28
Council Member Bell said that was part of the conversation at the last AOG meeting in 29
January 2018. 30
Town Council Member Anderson said is up to date on the last AOG meeting. She said 31
she wants to know if this evening can serve as a time for an update, but also as a conversation 32
to keep things moving forward, in order to have the greatest collaboration and impact. 33
Mayor Hemminger said it seems a good idea to get a clear picture of the current areas 34
of collaboration, prior to moving on to further discussion. 35
Commissioner Marcoplos said the next six items related to affordable housing, and any 36
ideas that may arise regarding collaboration could be suggested throughout these items. 37
Town Council Member Schaevitz referred to the comments about the public being 38
unaware of the many areas of collaboration, and suggested creating 90-second videos of the 39
areas of collaboration to put on social media platforms. 40
Sherrill Hampton said staff will take these comments back and work on these 41
suggestions. 42
43
b) Town’s Affordable Housing Bond Referendum 44
Loryn Clark reviewed the following information: 45
In support of the Chapel Hill 2020 theme of creating a place for everyone, on February 21, 2018 46
the Town Council adopted a framework to develop and preserve affordable housing 47
opportunities in Chapel Hill. Staff also developed annual and five year targets for development 48
and preservation of affordable housing. The Council also reviewed an investment plan that 49
identifies General Obligation (G.O.) bonds as the most effective and efficient funding source to 50
16
support the investment plan. The proposed referendum, for up to $10.0 million of Affordable 1
Housing Bonds, was approved on March 21st and would be scheduled for November 6, 2018. 2
The amount of the proposed referendum is based, in part, on the target number of affordable 3
housing units and the average subsidy per unit. On March 21, the Council is scheduled to 4
consider a preliminary resolution to pursue a bond referendum in November. 5
6
c) Town Homestead Road Project 7
Loryn Clark reviewed the following information: 8
The Town has engaged a design firm to create a concept plan for development of a Town-9
owned site located at 2200 Homestead Road site. Town staff has met with potential community 10
partners and held two public meetings. Town staff is currently incorporating feedback received 11
to date into a single concept plan for submittal to the Town’s Community Design Commission in 12
April and the Town Council in June. 13
Council Member Anderson said this was envisioned as a partnering effort with UNC 14
Healthcare, and asked if there is a status update. 15
Loryn Clark said conversations are ongoing with UNC Healthcare, and information was 16
recently received that the partnership may not work. She said the partnership was intended to 17
bring in a few million dollars to help with construction and infrastructure. She said other 18
possible partners are being researched, as well as low-income housing tax credits, and other 19
potential funding for this site. 20
Commissioner Price asked if the Town would be looking to the County for any type of 21
assistance. 22
Loryn Clark said this is possible, and these projects have been shared with the 23
affordable housing collaborative group. 24
Commissioner Price said she was thinking more of the financial side of things. 25
Mayor Hemminger said financial collaboration is always welcome, and the Town is trying 26
to discern where it stands with UNC. 27
Council Member Parker referred to the mix of incomes, and asked if any of those would 28
be market rate mix, or just mix of incomes within the affordable housing umbrella. 29
Loryn Clark said their consultant has run models for both, and she said they are in the 30
process of narrowing this down. She said if mixed income development is included in this site, 31
the Town’s subsidy will be lowered, which may be desirable. She said this information is being 32
analyzed, and further information will be provided to the Council. 33
Council Member Oates said the Council passed a resolution that this project would be a 34
mix of market rate and affordability. She said the public often discusses the racial component 35
when discussing affordable housing; that there are many people of color who are eligible for low 36
income subsidized housing, and when projects are built that are only subsidized housing, it 37
segregates this population. She said the goal is to mix in affordable housing with market rate 38
housing. 39
Mayor Hemminger said opportunities for further collaboration can be discussed further 40
in the future. 41
42
d) Town Plans for Redevelopment of Public Housing Sites 43
Loryn Clark reviewed the following information: 44
The Town of Chapel Hill owns and manages 336 currently occupied public housing apartments 45
in 12 communities throughout Town and one in Carrboro, ranging from two bedroom to 5 46
bedroom units and they are assessing all of these sites. The Town is creating a Public Housing 47
Master Plan. The purpose of the Plan is to guide the Town’s decision making related to the 48
maintenance, development and redevelopment potential of the Town’s public housing inventory. 49
The first phase of the plan included an inspection of all properties using federal standards and 50
17
an appraisal of all the neighborhoods. The second phase is currently underway and will provide 1
a detailed structural and physical assessment of all 336 living units and condition of all 2
buildings. Town staff is scheduled to provide an update on the Master Plan process in May. 3
4
Loryn Clark talked about the Northside Neighborhood Initiative, which is a partnership 5
between the Jackson Center and SelfHelp, as well as some other housing non-profits in the 6
community. She said these groups are working together to create housing opportunities in the 7
Northside neighborhood. She said when this initiative began, the Town agreed to provide about 8
$200,000 annually for three years to support the administrative functions, related to the land 9
bank. She said this was also supported by a $3 million loan from UNC. She said this effort is 10
going strong, and is an excellent example of collaboration. She said SelfHelp recently provided 11
a summary of successes: 12
• 28 affordable units have been created, or under redevelopment 13
• 24 properties have been purchased into the land bank; 10 of which have been resold to 14
partners or home buyers 15
• 18 new families have moved to the neighborhood, 12 of which have historic ties to the 16
neighborhood 17
• Because of the work done by the collaborative group, there has been an increase in the 18
African American population in this neighborhood since 1980 19
• 46 home repairs 20
• 41 seniors who have received property tax assistance through a private grant received 21
by the Jackson Center. 22
23
Loryn Clark said this initiative is expanding into other neighborhoods, and may seek 24
assistance from the various governments in the future. 25
Mayor Hemminger said this is good bang for the buck. 26
Commissioner Price asked if there is any idea of the number of households, who are at 27
risk of losing their homes in Chapel Hill, because of higher property taxes or any other reasons; 28
and how this number relates to the amount of units being built. 29
30
Council Member Bell left at 9:02 p.m. 31
32
Loryn Clark said she does not have that information specifically, but there is a higher 33
number of lower income families that live in the community that are cost burdened; paying more 34
than 30% of their household income on housing expenses. She said this may be one way to 35
get a sense of the need. She said this information is included in their dashboard. 36
37
e) Manufactured Housing Relocation Opportunities-Sherrill Hampton 38
39
Sherrill Hampton reviewed the information below: 40
41
County and Town of Chapel Hill staff have been engaged in a variety of activities to respond to 42
the potential displacement of manufactured home park residents. 43
44
The Town has been engaged with residents in the Lakeview Park while the County has been 45
working with residents of the Homestead Park to prepare for potential displacement. 46
47
Discussions with the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough began before and have 48
continued since the Board of Commissioners’ approval of the Manufactured Home Work Group 49
18
recommendations. Discussions have focused on the development of a coordinated approach 1
between the jurisdictions and sharing pertinent information. 2
3
Below is a timeline of events and preparation for potential housing displacements. 4
• January 2018 – Orange County staff learned of a potential manufactured home park 5
closure, and Town of Chapel Hill staff shared notice regarding the potential closure and 6
redevelopment of the Lakeview Mobile Home Park. 7
• January 16, 2018 – County staff held a meeting of the Manufactured Home Park Work 8
Group to receive input and comments on a draft Rapid Response Protocol. 9
• January 23, 2018 – County staff presented a proposal to use a portion of the County-10
owned Millhouse Road property as a potential site for a new manufactured home park to 11
the Board of Orange County Commissioners. The Board approved moving forward with 12
completing a full assessment of the proposed site, including an environmental and 13
engineering study, as well as initiation of the rezoning process, as applicable. 14
• January 30, 2018 – The approved Manufactured Home Work Group recommendations, 15
along with a synopsis of the proposed Millhouse Road project, were presented at the 16
2018 Assembly of Governments meeting. Additional input and comments were gathered 17
as to the creation of a comprehensive and coordinated strategy regarding the 18
Manufactured Home Park Initiative. 19
• January 30, 2018 – The Town of Chapel Hill developed a response strategy for the 20
proposed closure of the Lakeview Mobile Home Park and shared that information with 21
Orange County staff. 22
• February 1, 2018 – County staff learned of the proposed displacement of residents at 23
the Homestead Mobile Park located in an unincorporated part of the County outside of 24
Chapel Hill. The Homestead Mobile Home Park includes approximately nine (9) homes 25
that could be affected by the closure. Staff had a conversation with the park owner to 26
discuss the situation. 27
28
Conversations with the Park owner have continued. 29
• February 9, 2018 – County staff convened an initial meeting of the Rapid Response 30
Team to plan for a community meeting with the Homestead Mobile Home Park 31
residents. The County Manager invited Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange 32
County Schools to be a part of the Manufactured Home Park Work Group and the Rapid 33
Response Team. 34
• February 24, 2018 – A meeting was held with the residents of the Homestead Mobile 35
Home Park to gather their input and comments, as well as ascertain their needs given 36
the proposed displacement. Three families met with staff. County staff continues to 37
conduct due diligence on the Millhouse Road site and other identified strategies, 38
including identifying cost centers and gathering applicable pricing information. 39
• On March 6, 2018, Rehabilitation Specialists in the Housing and Community 40
Development Department conducted an inspection of three of units at the Homestead 41
Mobile Home Park. The manufactured homes could be moved safely without significant 42
investment. 43
• On March 7, 2018, graduate interns working in the Housing and Community 44
Development Department, along with other UNC-Chapel Hill graduate students, held a 45
“phone-a-thon” to contact the 100 manufactured home park owners in the County to 46
gather information and identify available vacancies. In mid-April 2018, an information 47
session will be held with manufactured home park owners to provide information 48
gathered during the “phone-a-thon.” 49
19
• The County’s Rapid Response Team met on March 13, 2018 to review a draft proposal 1
of services for residents of the Homestead Mobile Home Park. A representative from 2
Orange County Schools participated in the meeting to discuss school assignment issues 3
as students move within the District. 4
• On March 17, 2018, staff will met again with the residents of Homestead Mobile Home 5
Park to discuss and evaluate potential options for relocation. 6
• On March 20, staff proposed two options for relocation services and assistance to the 7
Board of Orange County Commissioners. One option would assist residents in locating 8
alternative affordable housing in existing multifamily units dedicated to serving low and 9
very low-income individuals and families. The other options would initiate a contract with 10
Empowerment Inc. to provide Relocation Coordinator Services including serving as a 11
property manager. 12
None of their families opted for option one. They preferred Option 2 and staff is moving forward 13
with option 2. 14
15
Council Member Buansi referred to the meeting in April, and asked if those who will be 16
in attendance can be identified. 17
Sherrill Hampton said there are two groups, with representatives from each of the 18
jurisdictions: the work g roup formed before she got here, and the rapid response team, which 19
includes interdepartmental members, along with representatives from the school districts. 20
Town Council Member Anderson asked if the meeting will include Lakeview. 21
Sherrill Hampton said all mobile park owners will be invited, including the owner of 22
Lakeview. She said she will ask Loryn Clark if the Town would like to invite the developer, and 23
if the park owner is agreeable she will invite the developer. She said the meeting is for the 24
owners. She said staff wants to create a database of these mobile park owners. 25
Town Council Member Anderson asked Sherrill Hampton to elaborate on the 26
collaboration process. 27
Sherrill Hampton said information is shared where each of the jurisdictions are in that 28
process, as well as via a monthly update. 29
Town Council Member Anderson asked if there is any strategic overlap, beyond 30
information sharing. 31
Sherrill Hampton said she received the information from Loryn Clark, and staff is 32
reviewing this. She said she and Loryn Clark have spoken about agreeing upon the protocol of 33
resident engagement. 34
Council Member Anderson said for the future, it would be helpful to know of shared 35
strategies and resources, etc. 36
Sherrill Hampton said the County has shared about the Millhouse property site with the 37
Town of Chapel Hill, which the Town is analyzing. 38
Council Member Parker said this is the first instance of a county-wide rolling problem 39
with this mobile home parks relocation. He asked if there are countywide strategies that could 40
be deployed at specific mobile home parks, rather than looking at each park as an individual 41
entity. He said each park is unique, but there must be common threads through all. He said 42
the current approach seems like a game of ping-pong, and asked if it would be more beneficial 43
to look at this problem countywide. 44
Sherrill Hampton said yes, but both jurisdictions had to analyze the various situations. 45
She said county-wide strategies will grow over time, and Chapel Hill’s processes may be a bit 46
different than those in rural areas. She said resident engagement is crucial in all scenarios, as 47
well as reaching out to developers in the redevelopment process. 48
Loryn Clark said extensive outreach to the mobile home park residents is being 49
completed, which is providing a lot of useful information. 50
20
Mayor Hemminger said the Town Council just received the report late this afternoon. 1
Loryn Clark reviewed the information, and said that earlier in the year staff developed a 2
Lakeview Mobile Home Park Strategy, specifically in response to a developer coming forward 3
and expressing interest in redevelopment of this site. She said staff developed a strategy to 4
build relationships with the residents in this mobile home park, with the assistance of Delores 5
Bailey from Empowerment and the Navigators from the Family Success Alliance (FSA). She 6
said the next step is to develop a menu of options to present to the Town Council. She said 7
most residents are not interested in being relocated to a mobile home park; are not interested in 8
a one time payment for relocation assistance; and most families preferred a detached home in 9
Chapel Hill that is close to their school district and close to their work. She said the third piece 10
of the strategy is to identify sites for mobile home relocation, which includes consideration of 11
school district, access to public transportation, water and sewer and walkability. She said the 12
Planning Department is conducting an analysis of publicly owned land parcels, and an update 13
will be provided to the Town Council in March. 14
Loryn Clark said the final piece of the strategy is to develop a coordinated plan to apply 15
to any mobile home park. 16
Council Member Gu asked if there was a top priority for the families. 17
Loryn Clark said the survey did ask the families to rank priorities. 18
Sherrill Hampton said another tool in their toolbox is the County fund that will be 19
provided to mobile home park owners who would like to update or enhance their park, or buy 20
additional land that may be adjacent, to expand their park. 21
Roger Stancil, Chapel Hill Town Manager, said the Managers of the jurisdictions meet 22
with their housing staffs and providers on a monthly basis. He said the Lake View Park 23
collaboration is a success because they work with their non-profits and the FSA from Orange 24
County. 25
Council Member Buansi said at the meeting with the park owners in April it is important 26
that staff highlight the preferences of the residents. 27
28
f) Greene Tract 29
30
Craig Benedict, Orange County Planning Director, provided the following update: 31
32
The Greene Tract is a 164 acre parcel of which 104 acres is jointly owned by Orange County, 33
Chapel Hill, and Carrboro. The remaining sixty (60) acres is owned by 34
Orange County and has been designated as the Headwaters Preserve. 35
36
In late 2016, the owners of the jointly owned portion of the Greene Tract agreed to have the 37
Town Mayors and Board Chair consider different preservation and development options for the 38
property. This discussion resulted in three alternatives that illustrate high, medium, and low 39
development intensities. All of the alternatives include an elementary school site, a site for a 40
future park, the preservation of significant environmental and cultural areas, and a preliminary 41
road network and infrastructure design. The three alternatives also consider the project area’s 42
current environmental conditions, elements of the 2002 Joint Governments Resolution, the 43
Rogers Road Task Force report, the Mapping Our Community’s Future report, and previous 44
land use discussions. These three alternatives are contained in Attachment 5f -3. 45
46
In addition to the high, medium, and low development intensity scenarios, the Mayors and Chair 47
requested an examination of the entire Greene Tract, including the Headwaters Preserve, in an 48
effort to preserve the most environmentally sensitive areas and to develop the most appropriate 49
areas of the entire 164 acre Tract. As a result, staff amended the proposed conceptual plan, 50
21
reconfiguring the Headwaters Preserve and the jointly owned areas. This reconfiguration 1
maintains the same total acreage for each of the areas but aligns them differently. The 2
reconfigured tracts were drafted with environmental staff from the Town of Chapel Hill, the 3
Town of Carrboro, and Orange County in order to create new parcels, which endeavored to 4
protect environmental features and habitats located on site. The proposed reconfigured 5
Headwaters Preserve area alternatives are also contained in Attachment 5f-3. 6
Attachment 5f-4 includes land use and density outcomes for the different alternatives. 7
Attachment 5f-5 includes potential affordable housing outputs based on different affordable 8
housing proportions. 9
10
The Board of Orange County Commissioners had a preliminary discussion about planning for 11
the Greene Tract on February 20. Based on this discussion, the Board of Commissioners asked 12
staff to communicate the following preferences with the other owners of the property: 13
• Modify the headwaters preserve configuration, with the goal of creating, or protecting, 14
the natural north-south corridor, with the exact boundaries to be determined; 15
• Begin with the highest developable areas; 16
• Seek input from the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro with the goal of communicating 17
the Town’s preferences by May 1; 18
• Set up the walking tour as soon as possible; and 19
• Host a community meeting, presenting that, which has been learned, between the 20
walking tour and May 1. 21
22
The Board of Commissioners expressed interest in continuing the dialogue with Town elected 23
officials on a timeline that could allow for final directions to staff prior to the summer break. A 24
guided walking tour of the property is scheduled for March 23 with two tours, one beginning at 25
9:00 and the other beginning at 2:00. 26
27
Council Member Stegman asked if it would be possible to schedule an additional tour 28
since the Council just found out about it this afternoon. 29
Donna Baker said the invite went out to the Board of Aldermen and the Town Council a 30
month ago, as well as to the Clerks and the Managers. 31
Craig Benedict said staff will do its best to schedule an additional tour. 32
Commissioner Rich said the BOCC asked for comments from the Town by May 1, and 33
asked if this is possible. 34
Roger Stancil said it can be, but he not sure about all of this. He said it can be put on 35
the agenda for that request. 36
Commissioner Rich said the BOCC really wants to move forward on this, as the Greene 37
Tract has been discussed for years. 38
Roger Stancil said all the Managers are discussing this topic, and Town staff can 39
provide a tour to Council members who may not be able to attend tomorrow. 40
Mayor Hemminger said she plans to attend tomorrow, and asked if it is possible to walk 41
the roadbed that connects down to Merin Road. She said it is her understanding that there is a 42
connection that goes out of Rogers Road over to Eubanks, and asked if this could be included 43
in the tour as well. 44
Craig Benedict said he would try to incorporate these elements into the tour. 45
Commissioner Marcoplos echoed Commissioner Rich’s comments, and said the Greene 46
Tract is an incredible resource, especially for affordable housing. He said he hopes all would 47
be working collaboratively on affordable housing on the Greene Tract, and County staff is 48
looking into what it would take to have community solar as part of an affordable housing project 49
22
there. He said it is also wise to think about having agreed upon building standards, such as 1
energy efficiency, resource efficient, maintenance efficient, etc. 2
Mayor Hemminger said she is excited about this process, and the Town’s housing 3
partners are also eager to be a part of this discussion. 4
5
g) Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) Policy 6
7
Travis Myren reviewed the following information: 8
A nine member Board of Directors governs the Orange Water & Sewer Authority (OWASA). 9
The Chapel Hill Town Council appoints five members, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen appoints 10
two members, and the Orange County Board of Commissioners appoints two Board Members. 11
The OWASA Board adopts the annual budget; sets rates, fees and charges; approves bond 12
issues to fund capital projects; makes policy decisions; and appoints the Executive Director, 13
General Counsel and independent auditor. The fees associated with connecting to OWASA 14
infrastructure have been cited as one of the barriers to constructing low cost, affordable 15
housing. This item is intended to serve as a point of discussion for how the appointing Boards 16
could work with their appointees to the OWASA Board of Directors to potentially reduce the 17
cost of the connections for affordable housing developments. 18
19
Karen Stegman left at 9:43 p.m. 20
21
Travis Myren said the OWASA management provided a three-page handout, which 22
provides the trajectory for OWASA’s fees. 23
Mayor Hemminger said the Chair and Mayors met to discuss approaching OWASA 24
together about opportunities, and this is a result of those conversations. 25
Mary Tiger, OWASA Sustainability Manager, reviewed the following information: 26
27
OWASA Fees for New Service Connections, As It Pertains to Affordable Housing 28
Initiatives and Other Community Purposes 29
March 22, 2018 30
Prepared by OWASA staff for the March 22, 2018 Orange County Board of County 31
Commissioners and Chapel Hill Town Council Joint Meeting 32
33
OWASA values that safe and affordable water and wastewater services are fundamental to the 34
health of our local community, environment, and economy. We are committed to providing high-35
quality and reliable services in a cost-effective way for the entire community. We recognize that, 36
in some cases, this is still not enough and the cost of connecting to OWASA’s infrastructure 37
can be a hardship. OWASA understands the importance of affordable housing for our 38
community. 39
40
The following memo describes efforts underway that will lessen the cost to connect. We will 41
continue to work with our community partners to identify viable strategies for the affordability of 42
water and wastewater service. 43
44
Statutes and Agreements Governing OWASA’s Rates and Fees 45
NC Statute 162A does not provide OWASA the authority to reduce or waive rates, fees or 46
charges for any customer or customer class based on income or public purpose. A summary of 47
the pertinent statutes and agreements is provided in Attachment 1. 48
49
NC Session Law 2017-138 50
23
Last year, the state passed N.C. Session Law 2017-138 which authorizes public water and 1
sewer utilities to charge system development fees using one of three different methodologies. 2
With the help of rate consultants, OWASA staff evaluated the statute’s options for calculating 3
the fees and chose the method most appropriate for OWASA and its customers. The method 4
chosen also resulted in lower fees than the other options. As required by the new statute: 5
• A report on the new system development fees has been posted on OWASA’s website. 6
• We have invited and are accepting comments on the proposed changes up to and 7
through a public hearing scheduled for May 24, 2018. 8
• OWASA’s Board of Directors will consider approving the new system development fees 9
on June 14, 2018. 10
• The new fees must be in-place by July 1, 2018. 11
12
Combined 10% to 51% Reduction in System Development Fees from Last Year 13
The new fee development methodology results in a proposed reduction of 10% to 40% of 14
current system development fees, depending on the type of development. The proposed 15
changes are outlined in Table 1. The proposed fees also include a new lower-tier rate for 16
homes 800 square feet or smaller. In addition to the proposed reductions shown in Table 1, in 17
October 2017, we also reduced system development fees, based on an updated analysis of 18
costs and rates. 19
20
In total, the reductions made in October 2017 combined with those proposed to take place July 21
2018, OWASA’s system development fees will be 10% to 51% less than they were prior to 22
October 2017. 23
Information about OWASA’s system development fees was included in a December 18, 2017 24
letter to Mayor Hemminger, Mayor Lavelle and Chair Dorosin (Attachment 2). 25
System Development Fee Comparison 26
• System development fees are known by a variety of names, e.g. availability fees, impact 27
fees. These are one-time fees for new connections, such as new residences and 28
businesses, to the community’s water and sewer system. System development fees 29
recover the cost of the capacity needed to provide water and sewer services to these 30
new properties. 31
• Utilities use a variety of methods to calculate these type fees: 32
o Size of meter serving the property 33
o Square footage 34
o Type of property 35
• OWASA was one of the first utilities to use square footage in determining fees 36
applicable to residences. 37
• Table 2 shows a comparison of system development fees neighboring utilities charge for 38
a 1,600-square foot residential property. (Rates shown for OWASA are proposed based 39
on the new NC law. The other utilities listed must go through the same process so their 40
rates may also change.) 41
• Number of accounts is noted because in a capital-intensive industry, such as water and 42
wastewater, economies of scale (or lack thereof) can significantly impact cost-of-service 43
fees. 44
45
Council Member Parker said he applauds the creation of the lower tier, and bringing the 46
rates down. He referred to tiny homes, which are typically 500 square feet or less, and asked if 47
it would be possible to have an even lower tier just geared towards tiny homes. He said many 48
of the tiny homes use compost toilets, and asked if it would be possible to get a special 49
discount on the sewer rates, if the standard amount of sewerage is not being used. 50
24
Mary Tiger said these are things that can be considered as the data is reviewed. She 1
said the marked change in water usage seems to be at 800 square feet or less. 2
Council Member Schaevitz said she has heard from OWASA that the percentage of 3
people who participate in the care to share program was 8%. She asked if this is still accurate. 4
Mary Tiger said it is probably about 5%. 5
Council Member Schaevitz said she would like to think of ways that this number can be 6
increased. She said it is likely related to a marketing need. She asked if Mary Tiger could 7
come back with some suggestions as to how the elected boards can help. 8
Mary Tiger said she would be glad too. 9
Commissioner Rich said elected officials have been trying to do this for years. 10
Council Member Parker said to make it an opt-out program, rather than an opt-in. 11
Council Member Schaevitz asked if it is legally possible to make that change. 12
Commissioner Rich said staff can provide the data from previous attempts to increase 13
awareness of this program, and perhaps a new set of eyes will come up with new suggestions. 14
Mary Tiger said Care to Share has typically been promoted as a round-up program, and 15
about 95% of contributors would round up, and 5% were contributing a fixed amount. She said 16
35% comes from these fixed contributors. She said letters have been sent out to contributors, 17
encouraging them to use the fixed model of contribution. 18
Commissioner Rich asked if Mary Tiger would highlight where these funds go. 19
Mary Tiger said the funds go to the InterFaith Council for Social Services (IFC), which 20
they use to help their clients pay for water and sewer services, and provide rent assistance 21
when it includes water and sewer service. 22
Commissioner Jacobs said OWASA participates, but the Mayor started a Jordan Lake 23
user/protector group and having sat through several of the meetings and listened as Raleigh 24
and Durham by land in Orange County to protect water quality, and he wrote a letter to the 25
OWASA board asking why they have stopped doing so, and encouraging resumption. He said 26
he is still waiting for an answer, and he would like to see OWASA participate with the County 27
and others to do conservation easements and protect water quality. 28
Mary Tiger said she would relay this comment back to the OWASA board. 29
30
CLOSED SESSION: 31
32
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to 33
go into closed session at 9:56 p.m. for the purpose of: 34
35
“To consult with an attorney employed or retained by the public body in order to preserve the 36
attorney-client privilege between the attorney and the public body,” NCGS 143-318.11(a)(3) 37
38
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 39
40
RECONVENE INTO REGULAR SESSION 41
42
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Price to 43
reconvene into regular session at 10:35 p.m. 44
45
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 46
47
ADJOURNMENT 48
49
25
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Price to 1
adjourn the meeting at 10:35 p.m. 2
3
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 4
5
Penny Rich, Vice Chair 6
7
Donna Baker 8
Clerk to the Board 9
1
Attachment 3 1
2
DRAFT MINUTES 3
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 4
REGULAR MEETING 5
April 3, 2018 6
7:00 p.m. 7
8
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 9
at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Building, in Hillsborough, N.C. 10
11
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Dorosin and Commissioners Barry Jacobs, 12
Earl McKee, Mark Marcoplos, Renee Price and Penny Rich 13
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Mia Burroughs 14
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts 15
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager 16
Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified 17
appropriately below) 18
19
Chair Dorosin called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. 20
21
1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda 22
23
Chair Dorosin noted the following items at the Commissioners’ places: 24
- PowerPoint for Item 4-c: Capital Investment Plan (CIP) 25
- PowerPoint for Item 6-a: Major Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application-Triple Crown Farms 26
- PowerPoint for Item 6-b: Site Acquisition Development of a Multi-Purpose County Campus 27
- Food Council Handout: Commissioner Rich will speak to this under board announcements 28
- blue sheet: Proposed draft resolution from Commissioner Price ( to be considered at a 29
future meeting) titled – Orange County Supports 3DaysCount: “A 30
NATIONWIDE EFFORT TO MAKE COMMUNITIES SAFER AND ENSURE 31
BETTER OUTCOMES FOR ALL BY APPLYING COMMON SENSE 32
SOLUTIONS TO WIDESPREAD PRETRIAL JUSTICE CHALLENGES”. 33
- lavender sheet: Proposed Draft Proclamation from Commissioner Price (to be considered at 34
a future meeting) titled: National County Government Month - April 2018--35
"Serving the Underserved" 36
- Hand out from Chamber of Commerce: Chair Dorosin to speak to this item under Board 37
petitions and announcements 38
- Hand out- Arts Moment: Chair Dorosin to speak to this item under Board petitions and 39
announcements 40
41
Chair Dorosin suggested moving Item 11-b – Parks and Recreation Council Appointments – 42
up on the agenda to Item 4-d. 43
The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) agreed by consensus. 44
45
PUBLIC CHARGE 46
Chair Dorosin dispensed with the reading of the public charge. 47
48
Arts Moment - Fred Joiner 49
2
Katie Murray, Orange County Arts Commission Director, reviewed the following 1
information: 2
Fred Joiner is a poet and curator living and creating in Chapel Hill, NC. His work has 3
appeared in Callaloo, Gargoyle, and Fledgling Rag, among other publications. Fred has read 4
his work nationally and internationally. Joiner is a two-time winner of the Larry Neal Award for 5
Poetry and a 2014 Artist Fellowship Winner as awarded by the D.C. Commission on the Arts 6
and Humanities. Most recently, one of Joiner’s poems recently won the Smithsonian’s National 7
Museum of African Art’s Divine Comedy Poetry Contest, in response to Konate’s textile work. 8
As a curator of literary and visual arts programming, Joiner has worked with the American 9
Poetry Museum, Belfast Exposed Gallery (Northern Ireland), Hillyer Artspace, Honfleur Gallery, 10
Medina Galerie (Bamako, Mali), the Phillips Collection, the Prince Georges African American 11
Museum and Cultural Center, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum and others. He is the co-founder 12
of The Center for Poetic Thought currently based at the Monroe Street Market in Washington, 13
DC. Joiner is a Board Member of The American Poetry Museum and the Orange County Arts 14
Commission. 15
Fred Joiner read one of his poems. 16
17
2. Public Comments 18
19
a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda 20
Gary Williamson said he wanted to speak on the flag ordinance, which he is 21
against. He said all people are different, and for an elected body to decide what people 22
can and cannot do on their own personal property is wrong. He said he is supportive of 23
everyone’s heritage, and his is southern. He said his friend wants to put up a flag to 24
support their southern heritage, and this is his right. He said 32 people are preparing to 25
put up flags in Orange County, and these people do not feel the need to speak out to the 26
BOCC, as raising flags on private property is their right. He said the BOCC should think 27
carefully about any actions it takes, and this is a very touchy subject. He said the people 28
desiring to raise these flags and support southern heritage, are not filled with hate. 29
30
b. Matters on the Printed Agenda 31
(These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda 32
below.) 33
34
3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members 35
Commissioner McKee had no comments. 36
Commissioner Jacobs said the fence on the bridge on Orange Grove Road has been 37
successfully installed. 38
Commissioner Jacobs asked for a follow up report on the status of a program to 39
encourage monarch butterflies on County owned properties. He said he believed he petitioned 40
about this before, and he would like this added as an information item. 41
Commissioner Jacobs said the Chapel Hill North-South Bus Rapid Transit (N-S BRT) 42
policy committee reconvened recently, and spent time talking about a connection with 43
Hillsborough. He said it was decided not to go on I-40, but on new NC-86. 44
Commissioner Jacobs said the Solid Waste Advisory Group (SWAG) met last week for 45
the first time in a year, and he and Commissioner Marcoplos attended. He said there was 46
discussion about moving up in priority the recycling of food waste. He said they are at 62% in 47
waste recycling, which leads the state. 48
3
Commissioner Jacobs said on April 27 the Justice Advisory Council (JAC) will be 1
sponsoring an inaugural local re-entry council meeting at Whitted, which will hopefully lead to 2
some federal funding to help those leaving incarceration. 3
Commissioner Jacobs asked if there is an update regarding the two railroads that have 4
jurisdiction over the Hillsborough train station. He said Jeff Mann, GoTriangle, offered to gather 5
information about this, and Commissioner Jacobs asked if Chair Dorosin would write a letter 6
requesting that Jeff Mann follow up on this issue. 7
Commissioner Jacobs encouraged the teachers of NC to be empowered by the 8
teachers in West Virginia and other states, who are going on strike for more pay. 9
Commissioner Rich referred to the information at the Commissioners’ places about the 10
Food Council. She said there is a need for increased education on the work of the Food 11
Council. She said securing funding for the Food Council is also a pressing need, and she 12
hopes that all governments will get involved to cover these costs. 13
Commissioner Rich said she was at the Governor’s Mansion last week for a “Women in 14
Power” day. He said the Governor is planning a report on the Economic Status of Women in 15
North Carolina in May. She said she signed up for one that is very specific to Orange County. 16
Commissioner Rich said in the future, Orange County should do more to celebrate and 17
acknowledge women’s history month in March, and suggested involving the Human Relations 18
Commission (HRC) in such a plan. 19
Commissioner Rich said there is a lot of information about kids vaping in schools, and 20
asked if the Health Department is addressing this in any way with the schools. 21
Commissioner Marcoplos said the GoTriangle Board met last week, and discussed three 22
noteworthy items: 23
1.) the Transit Advisory Committee was appointed and all Orange County’s choices 24
were appointed; 25
2.) there was a presentation from the Hartsook companies, an international fundraising 26
company that GoTriangle hired to explore how to raise the money indicated in the 27
cost share agreement. He said the Board was supposed to listen, and determine 28
whether to award a contract to this company. He said the consultant was very 29
confident that raising the money is a doable task, and he was asked to proceed. He 30
said $30-35 million was already raised through in-kind donations, primarily from the 31
universities; 32
3.) a presentation about bicycle and pedestrian connections that will be built around the 33
stations. 34
Commissioner Price said while at the National Association of Counties (NACo) 35
conference, the National Association of Black County Officials (NABCO) passed a resolution 36
dealing with pretrial justice and release. She said Orange County has done a lot in the area, 37
but NABCO suggested that each member bring the blue sheet at the Commissioners’ places 38
back to their counties for consideration to be passed, and forwarded to the state level. 39
Commissioner Price referred to the lavender sheet, and said April is National County 40
Month. She said NACo offered this sample resolution. She said NACo’s initiative this year is 41
“serving the underserved,” and perhaps the County might like to highlight what it is doing with 42
fair housing, the Family Success Alliance, etc. 43
Commissioner Price said she also attended the Women’s History month gathering in 44
Raleigh, and looks forward to seeing the data that is gathered. 45
Commissioner Price said this is a week of remembrance for Martin Luther King, and 46
tomorrow marks 50 years since he was assassinated. She said the country has come along 47
way, but still has a long way to go. 48
Chair Dorosin said he received a letter from the Chapel Hill Carrboro Chamber of 49
Commerce, a hand out at the Commissioners’ places, requesting that a Commissioner or a 50
4
member of Management serve as an ex-officio, non-voting officer on the Chamber’s Board of 1
Directors. 2
Commissioner McKee said this is an opportune time for the BOCC to serve on this 3
board, and if no one else is interested, he would be willing to serve. 4
The Board decided to wait until Commissioner Burroughs returned on April 10th to make 5
a decision. 6
Chair Dorosin referred to the Arts Moment, and whether the Board wants to open it up to 7
Arts groups, in addition to individual artists. He said Katie Murray indicated she is open to the 8
BOCC’s wishes, and has booked the arts moment until October 2018. 9
The Board decided to defer this decision to a later date. 10
11
4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations 12
13
a. Sexual Assault Awareness Month Proclamation 14
The Board considered voting to approve a proclamation recognizing April 2018 as 15
Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Orange County and authorize the Chair to sign. 16
Annette Moore, Human Relations Director, reviewed the information below: 17
18
BACKGROUND: 19
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center defines sexual violence as “any type of 20
unwanted sexual contact, including sexual assault and rape.” This can include anything from 21
sexual harassment to non-consensual sharing of private intimate images to rape. Sexual 22
violence impacts everyone. According to the National Center for Victims of Crime “2017 23
National Crime Victim’s Rights Week Resource Guide: Crime and Victimization Fact Sheet”: 24
• 44% of women and 23% of men will experience sexual assault; 25
• 19% of women and 2% of men will be raped; 26
• 38% of heterosexual women who were raped were between the ages of 18 -24; 27
• 28% of persons raped were between the ages of 11-17 when first raped; 28
• 64% of multiracial women and 40% of multiracial men reported being sexually assaulted 29
other than rape; 30
• 75% of bisexual women are more likely to be sexual assaulted compared to 46% of 31
same sex and 43% of heterosexual women; 32
• In 2014, an estimated 20,300 military members reported being sexually assaulted 33
10,600 men and 9,600 women; 34
• Sexual violence is 2.5 times more prevalent that the most commonly occurring diseases 35
–including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS combined; 36
• 1 in 5 female students experienced attempted or completed sexual assault while in 37
college and 65% of those surveyed reported the incident to a friend, family member, or 38
roommate and less than 10% reported it to police or school officials; 39
• 4% of inmates in state and federal prison report experiencing sexual assault, the most 40
common for being staff misconduct. 41
42
A National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey in 2010 indicated that among females 43
who had been raped 51.1% reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an 44
acquaintance. For males, more than half reported being raped by an acquaintance and 15.1% 45
by a stranger. The economic burden of sexual violence is estimated at a lifetime cost of 1 46
$122,461 per victim, or $3.1 trillion for all rape victims. The costs include lost productivity, 47
medical costs, criminal justice service activities, and victim property loss and damage. 48
49
5
The Orange County Rape Crisis Center, a non-profit, volunteer agency, which has been serving 1
the community since 1974 is working with others in the community to stop sexual violence and 2
its impact through support, education and advocacy. The Orange County Rape Crisis Center 3
assisted over 675 survivors of sexual violence, their loved ones, and community professionals 4
during 2017. The Orange County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is bringing together 5
members of law enforcement, the medical community, the legal system and other community 6
advocates to improve services for survivors of sexual assault who come forward. 7
Julia Da Silva, Rape Crisis Center Vice President, read the Proclamation: 8
9
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 10
Proclamation 11
“Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2018 Proclamation” 12
13
WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center assisted over 675 survivors of sexual 14
violence, their loved ones, and community professionals during 2017; and 15
16
WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center works with the county’s two school systems 17
and other groups to provide students with age-appropriate information about violence 18
prevention, reaching over 17,000 youth and adults each year; and 19
20
WHEREAS, the coordination of the Orange County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is 21
bringing together members of law enforcement, the medical community, the legal system, and 22
other community advocates to improve services for survivors of sexual assault who come 23
forward; and 24
25
WHEREAS, 1 in 5 American women have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lives 26
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010); and 27
28
WHEREAS, in the United States rape is the most costly crime to its survivors, totaling $127 29
billion a year considering factors such as medical cost, lost earnings, pain, suffering, and lost 30
quality of life (U.S. Department of Justice, 1996); and 31
32
WHEREAS, in the United States 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of 33
sexual or physical violence committed by an intimate partner (Centers for Disease Control and 34
Prevention, 2010); and 35
36
WHEREAS, there are more than 16,500 sex offenders registered as living in North Carolina 37
(Department of Justice, 2015) 38
39
WHEREAS, victim-blaming continues to be an enormous problem in instances of rape and 40
sexual assault; and 41
42
WHEREAS, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, a nonprofit agency that has served this 43
community since 1974, is working to stop sexual violence and its impact through support, 44
education, and advocacy; 45
46
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do 47
hereby proclaim the month of April 2018 as “SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH” 48
and encourage all residents to speak out against sexual violence and to support their local 49
community’s efforts to prevent and respond to these appalling crimes. 50
6
1
This the 3rd day of April 2018. 2
3
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Price for the 4
Board approve the proclamation designating April 2018 as “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” 5
in Orange County and authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation. 6
7
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 8
9
b. Fair Housing Month Proclamation 10
The Board considered voting to proclaim April 2018 as Fair Housing Month in Orange 11
County, North Carolina and authorize the Chair to sign. 12
13
Annette Moore reviewed the information below, and said she will take the Women’s 14
History Month suggestion back to the HRC: 15
16
BACKGROUND: 17
The month of April is National Fair Housing Month. April 2018 will mark the 50th anniversary of 18
the enactment of the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the 24th anniversary of the Orange 19
County Civil Rights Ordinance. These laws grant every person a right to live where they 20
choose, free from discrimination on the basis race, color, national origin, sex, religion, familial 21
status, or disability. 22
23
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has chosen “Fifty Years of Opening 24
Doors” as the 2018 Fair Housing Month theme. The chosen theme expresses the ideal of fair 25
and equal housing opportunities in every community. 26
27
Established in 1987, the Orange County Human Relations Commission (“HRC”) is charged with 28
enforcing the Orange County Civil Rights Ordinance that prohibits discrimination in housing and 29
public accommodations on the basis of race, age, sex, religion, familial status, national origin, 30
color, veteran’s status and disability. 31
32
During Fair Housing Month the Human Rights and Relations Department and the Human 33
Relations Commission along with other community organizations will co-sponsor a variety of 34
events to commemorate Fair Housing Month. 35
36
Commissioner Jacobs read the proclamation: 37
38
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 39
PROCLAMATION 40
FAIR HOUSING MONTH 41
42
WHEREAS, April 11, 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 43
1968 (formally known as the Fair Housing Act) and the 35th anniversary of the 44
North Carolina Fair Housing Act prohibiting discrimination in housing on the 45
basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability and familial status; 46
and 47
48
WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners enacted the Orange County Civil 49
Rights Ordinance on June 6, 1994, which affords to the residents of Orange 50
7
County the protections guaranteed by the Fair Housing Act and additionally 1
encompasses the protected classes of Veteran Status and Age; and 2
3
WHEREAS, Orange County and the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 4
as well as concerned residents and the housing industry are working to make fair 5
housing opportunities possible for everyone by encouraging others to abide by 6
the letter and the spirit of fair housing laws; and 7
8
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development annually declares the 9
month of April as National Fair Housing Month, designating Fifty Years of 10
Opening Doors as the national theme and ideal for 2018; and 11
12
WHEREAS, despite the protections afforded by the Orange County Civil Rights Ordinance and 13
the Fair Housing Act, illegal housing discrimination still occurs in our nation and 14
within our County; and 15
16
WHEREAS, by supporting and promoting fair housing and equal opportunity, we are 17
contributing to the strength of our County, State and Nation. 18
19
NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County North 20
Carolina, do proclaim April 2018 as FAIR HOUSING MONTH and commend this observance to 21
all Orange County residents. 22
23
This the 3rd day of April 2018. 24
25
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Rich for the 26
Board to approve the proclamation and authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation. 27
28
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 29
30
c. Presentation of Manager’s Recommended FY 2018-23 Capital Investment Plan 31
(CIP) 32
The Board received the Manager’s Recommended FY 2018-23 Capital Investment Plan 33
in preparation for Board review and discussion at the April 10, 2018 Budget work session. 34
Travis Myren reviewed the following information: 35
36
BACKGROUND: 37
Each year, the County produces a Capital Investment Plan (CIP) that establishes a budget-38
planning guide related to capital needs for the County as well as Schools. The current CIP 39
consists of a 5-year plan that is evaluated annually to include year-to-year changes in priorities, 40
needs, and available resources. Approval of the CIP commits the County to the first year 41
funding only of the capital projects; all other years are used as a planning tool and serves as a 42
financial plan. 43
44
Capital Investment Plan – Overview 45
The FY 2018-23 CIP includes County Projects, School Projects, and Proprietary Projects. The 46
School Projects include Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and 47
Durham Technical Community College – Orange County Campus projects. The Proprietary 48
Projects include Water and Sewer, Solid Waste Enterprise Fund, and Sportsplex projects. 49
8
The CIP has been prepared anticipating moderate economic growth of approximately 2% in 1
property tax growth and 4% in sales tax growth annually over the next five years. Many of the 2
projects in the CIP will rely on debt financing to fund the projects. 3
4
Travis Myren made the following PowerPoint presentation: 5
6
ORANGE COUNTY 7
CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN 8
FY2018-23 9
Board of Orange County Commissioners 10
April 3, 2018 11
Agenda Item 4(c) 12
13
CIP Themes and Cost Drivers 14
– School Bond Projects 15
• Chapel Hill High School Cost Escalation 16
• Borrowing and Cash Flow Schedule 17
• Potential FY2017-18 Capital Budget Amendment 18
– Affordable Housing Bond 19
• Last Bond Draw of $2.5 Million 20
– Public Safety 21
• Detention Center & Potential Northern Campus Development 22
– Debt Service Structuring 23
• Subject to Approval by the Local Government Commission 24
• Debt Service to General Fund Revenue Policy 25
• Potential Tax Impacts 26
27
Recommended CIP Total Expenditures by Year (graph) 28
29
Total Recommended Capital Budget Expenditures (graph) 30
31
Recommended CIP schools capital projects (graph) 32
33
Recommended CIP County Capital Projects (graph) 34
35
FY 18-19 Recommended CIP Expenditures $28.5m total (graph) 36
37
FY 19-20 -Recommended CIP Expenditures$26.1M total (graph) 38
39
Recommended CIP Proprietary Capital Projects (graph) 40
41
Debt Service to General Fund Revenue Policy Debt Service Structuring – three cases 42
(graph) 43
44
Next Steps 45
– Document Review 46
• Clerk to the Board’s Office 47
• County Manager’s Office 48
• Orange County Libraries 49
9
• Orange County Website – orangecountync.gov 1
– Upcoming Budget Meetings 2
• April 10 Work Session for Capital Investment Plan 3
• April 24 Joint Meeting with Schools 4
• May 1 Presentation of FY2018-19 Recommended Operating Budget 5
• May 10 & 17 Public Hearings on Operating Budget and CIP 6
• May 24 Work Session for Schools and Outside Agencies 7
• May 31 Work Session for Fire Dist., Public Safety, Support, Gen. Govt. 8
• June 7 W ork Session for Human Services and Comm. Services 9
• June 12 Amendments and Intent to Adopt 10
• June 19 Adoption of Operating Budget and CIP 11
12
Commissioner McKee referred to the debt structure slide, and clarified that tax 13
increases would be required in order to make the payments. 14
Travis Myren said the tax increases will be bigger in the early years, because this 15
principal is hitting faster in the early years. 16
Commissioner Jacobs asked if the tax increases could be projected, and if the tax 17
increases will ever go down. 18
Travis Myren said cases 2 and 3 are the same scenarios that the BOCC saw at the 19
retreat, which was a tax increase between 4 and 5 cents. 20
Commissioner Jacobs asked if it known how far out this increase would go. 21
Travis Myren said at least until 2024 or 2025, but he would get more specific information 22
and bring it back to the BOCC. 23
Commissioner Jacobs asked if that would be about the time the schools would want 24
another bond. 25
Travis Myren said that is when the County’s debt capacity would start freeing up, and it 26
would be possible to maintain a similar level of taxation, while having some room to pay for 27
additional capital. 28
Commissioner Jacobs said it may be a tax increase for the foreseeable future. 29
Travis Myren said that is a policy decision to be made by the BOCC. 30
Commissioner Jacobs asked if, at next week’s Budget Work Session, staff could explain 31
why so much money has to be spent on Chapel Hill High School up front. 32
Travis Myren said yes. 33
Commissioner Price asked if the percentage of the fund balance will remain the same. 34
Travis Myren said yes, that policy would remain at 16%, and this policy is for the amount 35
of debt service. 36
Commissioner Price asked if the maintenance of the Orange County Schools (OCS) is 37
built into this CIP. 38
Travis Myren said all of the projects included here are the same projects that the 39
schools have put in their facility reports. He said the maintenance part would be in the 40
operating budget. 41
Commissioner Price said some of the schools are in very poor condition, and asked if 42
there is a plan in place to keep the schools stabilized until major renovation can occur. 43
Travis Myren said OCS is comfortable with this project schedule, and OCS has a lot of 44
smaller specific projects, as opposed to one major, complex project. 45
Commissioner Rich asked if the 21% for the school capital project is included in the 46
48.1% budget goal that the BOCC aims to hit each year. 47
Travis Myren said the 48.1% is the percentage of the operating budget, and the 21% is 48
in addition to that. 49
10
Commissioner Rich asked if staff could provide the amount that schools have received 1
over the years, above and beyond the 48.1%. 2
Chair Dorosin asked if all three of the options on the slide would require approval from 3
the Local Government Commission (LGC). 4
Travis Myren said the red line is typically what they see from everybody, and the County 5
is asking for some consideration, to smooth payments out over time, because of its affordability 6
policies. 7
Chair Dorosin referred to the 15% policy target, and asked if this is set by the LGC or by 8
the BOCC. 9
Travis Myren said this is a locally established policy by the BOCC, which can be 10
revisited. 11
12
d. (11-b) Orange County Parks and Recreation Council – Appointment – MOVED 13
The Board considered making an appointment to the Orange County Parks and 14
Recreation Council. 15
David Stancil, Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) 16
Director, said a member of the Parks and Recreation Council, who is in the Town of Carrboro 17
seat, and is unable to continue to serve. He said the Council has found a suggested 18
replacement. 19
20
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Marcoplos to 21
appoint the following to the Orange County Parks and Recreation Council: 22
23
• Appointment to a first full term (Position #1) “Carrboro City Limits” representative for 24
Michael Zelek expiring 03/31/2021. 25
26
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 27
28
5. Public Hearings 29
30
a. Orange County Consolidated Plan – Annual Action Plan Update and Proposed 31
Uses of the FY2018-2019 HOME Funds 32
The Board received input from the public regarding the proposed Annual Action Plan 33
and update of the FY 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development 34
Programs in Orange County, as well as the proposed uses of FY 2018-2019 HOME funds. 35
Sherrill Hampton, Housing Director, reviewed the information below: 36
37
BACKGROUND: 38
In May 2015, a Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development 39
Programs in Orange County was developed and approved by the U.S. Department of Housing 40
and Urban Development (HUD). This document details the housing needs of very low income, 41
low income and moderate-income families and special population groups in addition to outlining 42
the strategies and plans for addressing those needs. FY 2018-2019 will be the fourth year of 43
the 5-year Plan. 44
45
Each year, local communities are required to reassess the needs of the community. The Public 46
Hearing provides an opportunity for the public, public agencies and other interested parties to 47
provide input as it relates to the annual update of the Consolidated Plan and proposed Annual 48
Action Plan. In addition, the public is asked to comment on the proposed use of FY 2018-2019 49
Program Year funds. The Orange County HOME Consortium, known as the Orange County 50
11
Local Government Affordable Housing Collaborative, anticipates the following Federal financial 1
resources: 2
FY 2018 HOME Funds: $289,693.00 3
HOME Program Income: $ 13,306.00 4
HOME Match: $ 65,181.00 5
Total $368,180.00 6
The above amounts are estimates only and may be adjusted according to the allocation 7
received from HUD. 8
9
Renee Holmes, Housing Programs Coordinator, reviewed the following information: 10
The HOME Consortium, known as the Orange County Local Government Affordable Housing 11
Collaborative, comprised of one (1) elected official and staff members from Orange County, the 12
Town of Carrboro, Town of Chapel Hill and Town of Hillsborough reviewed the applications 13
received and made recommendations regarding funding for consideration by local elected 14
officials in May 2018 as follows: 15
16
Community Home Trust - Homeowner Assistance $ 60,000.00 17
Empowerment, Inc. – Rental Acquisition $145,000.00 18
Habitat for Humanity –Homeownership $ 60,000.00 19
Inter-Faith Council for Social Services (IFC) – Rapid Re-Housing and 20
General Tenant-Based Assistance $ 25,000.00 21
Orange County – Housing Rehabilitation $ 49,211.00 22
Administration $ 28,969.00 23
Total $368,180.00 24
25
Commissioner McKee asked if any of the approved funds reverted back in the past year, 26
due to un-use. 27
Sherrill Hampton said there was one reversion of approximately $20,000 to HOME this 28
past summer, but that was on older projects. 29
Commissioner McKee said he would like to see that all funds are used, so there is none 30
left to revert back. 31
Commissioner Price asked if the housing rehabilitation for Orange County is part of the 32
urgent repair program. 33
Sherrill Hampton said staff is looking at the broad category of housing rehabilitation, 34
which includes urgent repair. She said this program is for the elderly or handicapped, and goes 35
up to $8000 per unit. She said there is a state grant, as well as local funds provided by the 36
BOCC. 37
Commissioner Price asked if the funds being requested are a part of this program. 38
Sherrill Hampton said no, these are HOME funds, which can be used for rehab as well 39
as acquisition, second mortgage, and homebuyer assistance. She said these funds remained 40
after their projects; and due to the enormous housing rehab needs on existing, older housing 41
stock, staff is asking the BOCC if the remaining $49,000 can be used. 42
Commissioner Jacobs said he has previously heard concerns raised that the County’s 43
urgent repair fund is not very nimble, and that there is a long waiting list. 44
Sherrill Hampton said this is true, and she and her team are working on that going 45
forward. She said in the coming year, there will be changes to this process. She said many 46
homes that come in for urgent repair end up having code violations, which delay the process. 47
48
The FY 2018-2019 Annual Action Plan will be submitted to HUD on or before May 15, 2018. 49
12
This Public Hearing is one of two (2) public hearings held as a part of Orange County’s 1
engagement of its residents concerning local housing and community developments needs and 2
the HOME Program. 3
4
PUBLIC COMMENT: 5
Jenny Prater said she has a Habitat for Humanity house, where she has lived since 6
2011. She has two children, and said she had been in a duplex apartment that was not very 7
nice in 2010. She said she looked for a home, but could not find anything in her budget that 8
was livable. She said some personal issues made her unable to get a loan, though she has a 9
good job at UNC. She said she is grateful for Habitat and the HOME funds, which have 10
provided her a stable home. 11
Marisa Martini said she works for Habitat as the Community Development Manager, and 12
thanked the Board of County Commissioners for its support. She reviewed the many homes in 13
Habitat’s inventory that have benefited from HOME funds, and said homeowners are here 14
tonight to share their stories. 15
Norbert Ronyambo shared his story of his ownership of a Habitat home, and thanked 16
the Board of County Commissioners for its support of affordable housing through HOME Funds, 17
which has enabled him to own a home in Orange County. 18
Jackie Jenks is Executive Director of InterFaith Council for Social Services (IFC), and 19
she thanked the BOCC for its support, and proposed uses of the HOME funds, which include 20
many of IFC’s partners and some much-needed projects. She reviewed statistics about IFC 21
residents, and the extreme lack of affordable housing and rentals for those in the lower income 22
levels. She said it is a very difficult situation for residents to be in, and she supports the County 23
in all of its efforts to support affordable housing in Orange County. 24
Nery Urrutia said he owns a Habitat home, and it is healthy, worthy, and smart for 25
Orange County to support projects like Habitat for Humanity. He said it is not healthy for 26
people to live under bridges, in the woods, or in their cars because rents are unaffordable in 27
Orange County. He said he works and is able to pay the bills and afford a home through 28
Habitat. 29
Robert Dowling, Community Home Trust (CHT) Director, said housing is becoming a 30
larger challenge in Orange County, and affordable housing stock is not increasing. He said the 31
bond will be put to good use, and they need all of the funding they can get for affordable rentals 32
and houses. He said Sherrill Hampton has recommended $60,000 for CHT, $40,000 of which 33
will go to the Northside Initiative, where CHT is partnering with Self Help credit union. He said 34
he hopes $40,000 will cover 2 houses. He said the remaining $20,000 will be used for resale of 35
existing inventory, and hopefully this will cover 2 homes. He said the subsidies are essential, 36
and he is thankful to the Board of County Commissioners for their support. 37
Delores Bailey said she is the Director of Empowerment, Inc., which is the owner of 42 38
scattered sites affordable rental properties. She said this Friday Empowerment will close on a 39
bond home. She thanked the BOCC for having the foresight to put aside money for mobile 40
home displacements. She also thanked the Board for helping Empowerment move forward on 41
9 new affordable rental properties this year, which were purchased with some HOME funds. 42
She thanked the County for all that it does. 43
44
A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Rich to close 45
the public hearing. 46
47
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 48
49
13
Commissioner McKee thanked the providers for leveraging funds, and those that spoke 1
who have been beneficiaries of these funds. 2
Commissioner Price asked the providers, as they receive these monies, to please let the 3
BOCC know how much is leveraged, as this information is used to lobby Congress for 4
additional monies. 5
Chair Dorosin echoed Commissioner McKee’s comments. 6
7
6. Regular Agenda 8
9
a. Major Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application – Triple Crown Farms 10
The Board reviewed a request to modify a previously approved Major Subdivision 11
Preliminary Plat application. 12
13
PURPOSE: 14
To review and take action on a request to modify a previously approved Major Subdivision 15
Preliminary Plat application. 16
17
The request seeks to modify conditions associated with roadway construction within the Triple 18
Crown Farms subdivision, originally approved as a 20 lot single-family residential subdivision. 19
Specifically the applicant is seeking to modify the County’s original approval requiring internal 20
roadways to be constructed to NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) public road 21
standards allowing same to be constructed to Class A private road standards as detailed in 22
Section 7.8.5 of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Roadway construction had 23
commenced when issues associated with complying with NCDOT standards were identified, 24
necessitating this request. 25
26
If approved, the roadways will be completed consistent with applicable County private road 27
standard. Once the roadways, and other required improvements, are completed the Final Plat 28
can be recorded within the Orange County Register of Deeds Office allowing for the creation of 29
the individual lots, allowing for the eventual development of single-family residences. Please 30
note at this time no development, other than installation of required infrastructure, is occurring 31
on the property. 32
33
BACKGROUND: 34
Triple Crown Farms Major Subdivision was approved by the by the BOCC on June 6, 2014. The 35
request includes changing the requirement for public roads built to NCDOT standards to private 36
roads built to Orange County private road standards. 37
38
The basic facts concerning the current application are as follows: 39
40
Applicant(s)/Owner(s): 16 Parkside Lane, LLC 41
2807 Homestead Road 42
Chapel Hill, NC 27516 43
Agent(s): Peter Bellantoni, PE 44
Pennoni Associates, Inc. 45
401 Providence Road, Suite 200 46
Chapel Hill, NC 27514 47
Location: Intersection of Dairyland Road and Triple Crown Drive. Please 48
refer to Attachment 2 for a vicinity map of the parcel. 49
14
Parcel Information: a. PIN(s): 9850-90-5614; 9860-01-0141 (New PINs); 9850-91-0030 1
(Old PIN). 2
b. Size of parcel: 92.95 acres in new area (104.25 acres in original 3
area. Lot area was reduced after 11.17 acres was recorded via 4
exempt subdivision via recorded Plat Book 118 5
Page PG 21 with the Orange County Register of Deeds and 6
assigned PIN 9860-01-0141). 7
c. Zoning/Watershed: Rural Buffer (RB); and University Lake 8
Protected Overlay District (UNIV-PW). 9
d. Township: Chapel Hill. 10
e. School District(s): The project is split between the Chapel 11
Hill/Carrboro County Schools (14 lots), and Orange County Schools 12
(5 lots). Please refer to Attachment 3 for additional information. 13
f. Future Land Use Map Designation: Rural Buffer. 14
g. Growth Management System Designation: Rural. 15
h. Joint Land Use Plan Designation: Rural Buffer. 16
i. Existing Conditions/Physical Features: Varying topography with 17
heavy vegetation, primarily mixed hardwoods, throughout. 18
There are streams running through the property with varying slopes. 19
Stream corridor width varies from 120 feet to 250 feet. The property 20
is encumbered by floodplain along Dairyland Road. 21
j. Roads: Vehicular access to the parcel is through Dairyland Road 22
and Triple Crown Drive; both are NCDOT state maintained roads. 23
k. Water and Sewer Service: The property is not located within a 24
primary public utility service area according to the Water and 25
Sewer Management Planning Boundary Agreement 26
(WASMPBA). 27
Proposed lots are to be served by individual well and septic 28
systems. 29
30
Surrounding Land Uses: 31
a. NORTH: Single-family residences zoned RB 32
b. SOUTH: Single-family residences zoned RB 33
c. EAST: Single-family residences zoned RB 34
d. WEST: Single-family residence zoned RB 35
36
Patrick Mallett, Planner II, made the following PowerPoint presentation: 37
38
April 3, 2018 39
BOCC Item: 6a 40
Triple Crown Farms 41
Preliminary Plat (Revised) 42
Review and Action on a 19-lot Major Subdivision off of Dairyland Road 43
Orange County Planning Department 44
45
Vicinity Map (map) 46
47
Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan (map) 48
15
1
Growth Management System 2
3
Preliminary Plat (Revised): 4
5
Plan Overview 6
7
Site Photograph – 1 8
9
Site Photograph – 2 10
11
Site Photograph -3 12
13
Site Photograph -4 14
15
Site Photograph -4 16
17
Site Photograph -5 18
19
RECOMMENDATION: 20
The Manager recommends the Board: 21
1. Receive the Planning Board and Planning Director’s recommendations on the 22
Preliminary Plat application for the revised Triple Crown Farms Subdivision, 23
2. Discuss the proposal as desired, and 24
3. Approve the Preliminary Plat as submitted and the Resolution of Approval contained in 25
Attachment 9. 26
27
Patrick Mallett said if the BOCC makes this change, there would need to be a disclosure 28
statement that acknowledges that these are privately maintained roads, and changing them to 29
NC Department of Transportation (DOT) public maintained roads would require significant 30
design, permitting, construction, and cost. 31
Chair Dorosin asked if that is included in the recommendations and resolution. 32
Patrick Mallett said yes, and that language would also be included in the road 33
maintenance agreement. He said the developer has met with DOT, and realized it would be 34
unable to meet DOT standards without great disturbance and significant cost, and, therefore, 35
needed to change the status of the roads. 36
Commissioner Rich referred to the disclosure statement, and asked if this transfers with 37
the sale of the home from one homeowner to the next. 38
Patrick Mallett said he would think it would, and the County would require that this be 39
recorded with the plat. He said the closing agent would have a copy of the plat, and all recorded 40
documents that are associated with the property. 41
John Roberts said it would show up in the title search. 42
Commissioner McKee referred to the third photograph, and said he sees a culvert 43
already installed. 44
Patrick Mallett said it is a metal conspan that is in the process of being installed. 45
Commissioner McKee said he thought that the need to install a bridge would be a major part of 46
the additional expense, but he sees the sub-structure of the bridge in place with no roadbed on 47
top. He asked if the additional expenses could be identified. 48
Patrick Mallett said he would let the developer speak to that. 49
Commissioner McKee asked if the other crossings already preliminarily installed as well. 50
16
Patrick Mallett said this is a large one. He said DOT has some rigid design standards, 1
and the standards for this type of road would require longer pipe, walls, different materials, etc. 2
He said the specific standards, combined with extensive inspections along the way has lead to 3
this disconnect. 4
Commissioner McKee said he is familiar with the standards, and he asked if the road 5
originally specked out to DOT standards. 6
Patrick Mallett said yes. 7
Commissioner McKee asked if that is the case, then why is the road built this way now, 8
and not to DOT standards. 9
Patrick Mallett said some of this has to do with design standards for roads that include 10
the materials, how to cross streams, etc., as well as other standards pertaining to direction, 11
grade, etc. He said, in this case, the anticipation was to raise the road, but the reality is that 12
there is about 20 feet of dirt fill to fill in, as well as side slopes, which was not realized until 13
much later. 14
Commissioner Price referred to the 2014 approval in their packet, and asked if this was 15
for this type of road or a DOT Road. 16
Patrick Mallett said the general design as indicated in the plan, is what the County 17
required, and it has not changed. 18
Commissioner Price asked if the 2014 approval was for a road built to DOT design 19
standards. 20
Patrick Mallett said yes. 21
Commissioner Price asked if the effects on the environment from this road are known. 22
Patrick Mallett said the project went through the 401 and 404 permitting with US Army 23
Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Environmental Quality. He said NC DOT has 24
different standards from these entities. 25
Commissioner Price asked if the impact is known, and what happens if there is a heavy 26
rain. 27
Patrick Mallett said the developer obtained erosion controls, stormwater reviews and 28
permits, and a preconference and stabilization to deal with stormwater, erosion control, etc. 29
Commissioner Price said the packet at the Commissioners’ places contains a document 30
from 2014, and asked if there is approval from erosion control for this proposal. 31
Patrick Mallett said yes, for this level of land disturbing activity. 32
Commissioner Price said she has concerns about future homeowners being well aware 33
of these disclosures, as well as 15 years from now, if the roads fails, and people will come to 34
Orange County and complain. She said the developer will be gone, and she wants to know 35
how the BOCC protects residents. 36
Patrick Mallett said that is the rationale of the disclosure statement. 37
Commissioner Marcoplos clarified that this is going to be less expensive than a DOT 38
road, and will that translate to savings to the homeowners. 39
Patrick Mallett said he would defer to the developer. 40
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if this road will be narrower. 41
Patrick Mallett said the original approval contemplated paving 20 feet of asphalt, and 42
now plans to have it match the public roads in Triple Crown Estates that are 18 feet wide, which 43
reduces impervious cover. 44
Commissioner Marcoplos said he is curious about the finances of this. 45
Chair Dorosin asked the developer to come up. 46
Richard Penci said he is the licensed land surveyor on the project. 47
Commissioner McKee asked if the developer knew that the original plan was supposed 48
to be DOT Standards, and why it was not built accordingly. 49
17
Richard Penci said he cannot answer that question, because he was not with the firm at 1
that time. 2
Commissioner McKee said this is a concern to him, and the level of construction is very 3
far along, and the substructure is in, and the only thing lacking is to grade the subgrade and 4
pave; however, it does not match the original requirements, which were to be to DOT specs, as 5
he understands. He asked if there is a reason for this. 6
Danny Jones, the developer, showed the BOCC a picture on a phone, and said he was 7
told by his engineers that this is a geo-grid block wall, and it would be passed. He said he is 8
unsure why DOT knocked it down, and DOT required poured concrete walls. He said he has 9
documentation from personal engineers that say the bridge will be intact for 75 years. He said 10
the process was documented, and appropriate testing conducted. He said he is not an 11
engineer. He said the 401 permit had certain requirements from the Army Corps of Engineers, 12
and he tried not to impact the creek. He said the roads are built to state standards, as is the 13
creek crossing. He said the questions arise over the block wall, as opposed to poured concrete 14
walls. He said tearing out the block wall will have more negative impact on the creek, than will 15
help it in the long run. 16
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if this change financially benefits the homeowners. 17
Danny Jones said he developed the first phase of the neighborhood, and those roads 18
would still be private if he had not begun the second phase of development, and pushed for 19
those roads to become public. He said the first phase began 12 years ago, and he’s only 20
begun to send this phase due to the economy improving. He said these changes would provide 21
a savings to the homeowner. 22
Commissioner McKee referred to preliminary plan approval information in the packet 23
and item #7, where it states the average price of houses, including lots, is $1.2 million. He 24
asked if this cost is per lot, or proposed 4 lots per year build out. 25
Danny Jones said the $1.2 million is the average price of a home in this subdivision. 26
Chair Dorosin asked if the developer put in this wall before getting approval, and if the 27
BOCC does not approve it, will the developer have to tear it down and build it to DOT 28
standards. 29
Danny Jones said if the BOCC does not approve this, his option would be to go to an 30
exempt subdivision with 10-acre lots. 31
Chair Dorosin asked if this gets approved, how much does this save the developer on 32
building the roads. 33
Danny Jones said it would save him nothing on the roads, and he would have to tear out 34
the wing walls and use poured concrete, which would do more harm. He said he would be 35
better off changing to an exempt subdivision. 36
Chair Dorosin asked if the number of houses would be less with the exempt subdivision 37
scenario. 38
Danny Jones said there would be 10 fewer homes that he could build. 39
Commissioner Marcoplos said he is still confused about the bridge. He clarified that the 40
developer has documented assessments of the bridge completed by engineers, and it has been 41
deemed structurally sound. 42
Danny Jones said there were people present around the clock as the construction was 43
being completed, and everything is documented. 44
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if all the homeowners could see these documents, and 45
have them referenced in their agreements, if they so chose. 46
Danny Jones said yes, and he is not sure why DOT turned it down. He said he has the 47
engineering to back up the data. 48
Chair Dorosin said if this passes, the developer will get some savings, and he asked the 49
developer if he would contribute any of those savings to affordable housing. 50
18
Danny Jones said if he made enough money, he would donate something. 1
Commissioner Rich said the developer already has a payment-in-lieu of $9100 for parks. 2
Commissioner McKee said he remembered an issue with the Winfall subdivision where 3
the roads were not built to DOT standards, issues arose, and he received many complaints 4
from the residents. He said he understands that the disclosure would inform homeowners that 5
this is a private road, but he asked Michael Harvey, Current Planning Supervisor, if there is any 6
way to insure that there would not be a repeat occurrence of that situation at the Triple Crown 7
Farms project. 8
Michael Harvey said he cannot guarantee anything, and he said staff has put 9
safeguards in place, with the language in the recommendations, which clearly lays out that the 10
roads are not to DOT standards, the cost to make them so, and that the property owners would 11
be responsible for making the changes should public roads be desired. He said this language 12
cannot insure that a property owner will not raise complaints in the future. 13
Craig Benedict, Planning Director, said there is one step that staff added to the Unified 14
Development Ordinance (UDO), which states that before the developer turns this over to the 15
new home owners’ association (HOA), there is a required community meeting to go over 16
issues, and the roads would be one of the issues addressed. 17
Commissioner Price said that speaks directly to her concern. She said that meeting 18
happens in the beginning, but she is concerned about this issue years from now. 19
Craig Benedict said a road maintenance document, which is affixed to each of these 20
lots, is recorded and affixed to the lots in perpetuity. 21
Chair Dorosin asked John Roberts if the BOCC can add a payment for affordable 22
housing to these conditions. 23
John Roberts said that would be an impact fee, and the BOCC cannot do that. 24
Chair Dorosin said the County would have to rely on the good faith of the developer. 25
Commissioner McKee said he appreciates the intent of the BOCC to further affordable 26
housing, but he would object to encouraging a developer on the fly at a meeting, under duress 27
to support affordable housing. He said he is not saying it was the intent of the Chair to ensnare 28
the developer, but if he were sitting in the developer’s place this evening, he would have felt no 29
choice but to agree to the Chair’s suggestion. He said if the BOCC had a policy ahead of time, 30
that would be different; but he cannot support this type of action at a meeting on the fly. 31
Commissioner McKee said he has a real concern about making an adjustment to a 32
previously approved project, which met DOT standards, that serves million dollar homes; or any 33
homes for that matter. 34
Chair Dorosin said the when the developer for the Hillsborough Economic Development 35
District (EDD) project was at a recent BOCC meeting, the Board suggested many conditions on 36
the fly, to which no objections were raised. He said there is precedent for making such 37
requests in this forum, and he believes his comments are consistent with previous BOCC 38
action. 39
Commissioner McKee said he had a level of concern at that meeting as well, but his 40
concern is greater this evening. 41
Commissioner Marcoplos said one of the fundamental questions is whether this road is 42
going to be built to any standard of quality, and the answer is that it is being built to the 43
standards of the UDO, which indicates it will be built to a level of quality that makes it a bona 44
fide road. 45
Patrick Mallett said it has to meet one or the other: Class A standard for private roads, 46
or DOT standards. 47
Commissioner Marcoplos said he believes it is a functional road system. 48
19
Commissioner Rich said this is not the first time that the developer has heard about 1
affordable housing, and she apologized if he was insulted. She said the BOCC is strongly 2
committed to encouraging developers to consider affordable housing, and how they may help. 3
Chair Dorosin said he was not apologizing, as he does not think his comments were out 4
of turn. 5
Commissioner Rich said she wanted to apologize if anyone was insulted. 6
Commissioner Price said she does not see any way that the BOCC can prevent this 7
from proceeding, as it will be built to County standards. 8
Chair Dorosin said the BOCC can vote it down, and the developer will have to go to an 9
exempt subdivision. 10
Commissioner Price said she does not see on what grounds the BOCC could vote this 11
down. 12
Chair Dorosin said on the grounds that the permit said the road would be built to DOT 13
standards, and it is not. 14
Commissioner Price said she takes issue with the construction having already 15
proceeded, but if the developer plans to build to the County’s standards, she does not see how 16
the BOCC can stop it. 17
Chair Dorosin said the developer cannot build to County standards unless the BOCC 18
gives approval of this modification this evening. 19
Commissioner Price said she does not see grounds upon which the BOCC can deny 20
approval. 21
Patrick Mallett said the developer’s plan B would be an exempt subdivion, and would 22
proceed onwards with ten lots. He said there is not a wooded, pastoral or meadow option. 23
John Roberts said the BOCC has two options: vote against this or support this. 24
25
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Marcoplos for 26
the Board to: 27
28
Approve the Preliminary Plat as submitted and the Resolution of Approval contained in 29
Attachment 9. 30
31
VOTE: Ayes, 3 (Commissioner Rich, Commissioner Price, Commissioner Marcoplos); Nays, 3 32
(Commissioner McKee, Commissioner Jacobs, Chair Dorosin) 33
34
Motion does not carry with a tied vote. 35
36
Chair Dorosin said to bring this back when Commissioner Burroughs is present. 37
John Roberts said the BOCC can continue this to a date certain when Commissioner 38
Burroughs is present. 39
40
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Marcoplos to 41
continue this agenda item to the April 17, 2018 BOCC meeting. 42
43
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 44
45
Danny Jones said he has a letter in his safe at home from 2014 which states his 46
approval from the BOCC was based on these roads being private. 47
Patrick Mallett said the rub is that the language says, “built to NC DOT standards”; so 48
whether it is public or private is somewhat irrelevant, and meeting the standards is the 49
requirement. 50
20
Chair Dorosin said staff will look into this document and make sure it is present on April 1
17th. 2
Commissioner Jacobs asked if staff could provide a history of the BOCC’s voting from 3
2014. 4
5
b. Site Acquisition Development of a Multi-Purpose County Campus 6
The Board considered voting to authorize the Manager to proceed with the acquisition of 7
approximately 21 acres located within the Hillsborough Highway 70/Cornelius Street corridor 8
known as the “Hwy 70 Site Assembly” for the development of the Orange County Northern 9
Campus site that addresses multiple County Capital Investment Plan initiatives; and to 10
authorize the Manager to execute the necessary documents for closing the transaction upon 11
final review of the County Attorney. 12
Jeff Thompson, Asset Management Services Director, reviewed the following 13
information: 14
15
PURPOSE: To: 16
1) Authorize the Manager to proceed with the acquisition of approximately 21 acres located 17
within the Hillsborough Highway 70/Cornelius Street corridor known as the “Hwy 70 Site 18
Assembly” for the development of the Orange County Northern Campus site that 19
addresses multiple County Capital Investment Plan initiatives; and 20
2) Authorize the Manager to execute the necessary documents for closing the transaction 21
upon final review of the County Attorney. 22
23
BACKGROUND: 24
On January 23, 2018, the Board of Orange County Commissioners validated a purchase and 25
sale agreement and necessary examination of a three parcel assembly of approximately 21 26
acres known as the Orange County Northern Campus assembly (note Attachment 1 – “Site 27
Assembly”). The Board directed the Manager and staff to continue the physical and regulatory 28
examination of the Site Assembly for potential acquisition on or before the outside closing date 29
of April 7, 2018. 30
31
Physical Due Diligence. Results of all examination efforts listed in this section yielded 32
satisfactory conclusions. Examination efforts included soils, geotechnical study, cultural & 33
archaeological study, utility availability and capacity, environmental study, wetland and storm 34
water management delineation, traffic circulation, off-site considerations, and conceptual land 35
planning for a campus contemplated to house an Orange County Detention Center, 36
Environment and Agriculture Center, and Park Operations Base (note Attachment 2 – 37
“Conceptual Land Plan”). 38
39
Land Use. The Site Assembly is within the Town of Hillsborough Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction 40
(“ETJ”), governed by the Hillsborough Unified Development Ordinance (“UDO”), and is currently 41
zoned Rural Residential. With the support of the Hillsborough Town Manager and Planning 42
Director/Assistant Town Manager, Orange County has applied for a “Suburban Office” Future 43
Land Use Amendment as well as an Economic Development District (“EDD”) Zoning 44
Amendment. These designations will allow all of the contemplated uses within this government 45
services campus to include an Orange County Detention Center, the Environment and 46
Agriculture Center, and the Park Operations Base. After the required public hearing process 47
and review by the Hillsborough Planning Board, the amendments were approved by the Town 48
Board on March 26, 2018. Voluntary annexation may be requested by the County at a future 49
time and was not an action required for this future land use and zoning amendment process. 50
21
1
Land Records Assessment. Survey, land records and title examination were performed and 2
yielded no significant exceptions. 3
4
Timeline. Should the Board authorize this acquisition, closing will occur on or before April 7, 5
2018. The anticipated development schedule is as follows: 6
7
Design Spring-Fall, 2018 8
Construction Manager at Risk Guaranteed Maximum Price Award* Winter, 2019 9
Construction Notice to Proceed Winter, 2019 10
Construction Winter, 2019-Fall, 2020 11
Occupancy Certifications; Move & Occupation Winter, 2020-Spring 2021 12
*BOCC Action 13
14
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The purchase price for the Site Assembly is $394,050 (note Attachment 15
3 – “Purchase and Sale Agreements”). Closing costs for the County total $1,906.16. Adequate 16
funds will have been appropriated for this initiative once the Detention Center, Environment and 17
Agriculture Center and Parks Operations Base Capital Projects are combined, because of the 18
efficiencies of the joint use of this site. The combined appropriations of $28.10 million are 19
adequate to support all project costs (including the land acquisition) as well as to provide for 20
project contingency funds. 21
22
Jeff Thompson made the following PowerPoint presentation: 23
Multi-Purpose County Campus Site Development Acquisition 24
April 3, 2018 25
Purpose 26
• Board authorization to acquire the “Northern Campus Assembly” parcels that addresses 27
multiple County Capital Investment Plan initiatives; 28
• Authorize the County Manager to execute the necessary documents upon final review of 29
the County Attorney 30
31
Background 32
• BOCC validation for examination – 1/23/18: 33
• Due diligence findings 34
– Physical 35
– Land Use 36
– Land Records 37
• Community relations 38
• Timeline/next steps 39
40
Potential Downtown Detention Sites- Photo- - Existing Sites 41
• both incur excessive costs; 42
• no expansion capability; 43
• challenging zoning compliance permitting process 44
45
Potential Perimeter Sites (Cornelius Corridor)- Photo- MBF Site 46
• challenging sewer extension 47
• expensive acquisition 48
• existing facility oversized 49
• removal from commercial tax base 50
22
1
Northern Campus Site Assembly- Photo 2
3
• 20.5 acre parcel (expansion, availability of other uses) 4
• water and gravity sewer accessible 5
• excellent access to Justice Facility, roadways 6
• staff support 7
• single site and utility cost leverage for multiple facilities 8
9
Due Diligence/Feasibility Summary- graph 10
11
Due Diligence/Feasibility Summary- graph 12
13
Due Diligence/Feasibility Summary- graph 14
15
Timeline/Next Steps 16
Spring-Summer, 2018 17
– Schematic Design, Continued Stakeholder Input 18
– BOCC: Construction Manager at Risk Agreement Approval 19
Fall, 2018 20
– BOCC: Schematic Design Approval 21
Winter, Spring, 2019 22
– BOCC: Guaranteed Maximum Price Approval 23
– Begin Construction 24
Winter, Spring, 2021 25
– Completion, Training, Move, Occupancy 26
27
Community Relations 28
• Extensive project information curated on County website 29
• Continuation of public information/input sessions during project design and construction 30
31
Financial Impact 32
• Parcel purchase price - $394,050 33
• Adequate Capital Investment Plan (CIP) appropriations for project 34
• Most efficient construction outcome would recommend Park Operations Base future 35
appropriation to synchronize with Detention and Agriculture Center projects 36
37
Manager’s Recommendation 38
• Board authorization to acquire the “Northern Campus Assembly” parcels that addresses 39
multiple County Capital Investment Plan initiatives; 40
• Authorize the County Manager to execute the necessary documents upon final review of 41
the County Attorney 42
43
Commissioner McKee said he previously asked staff to look at a parcel of land across 44
from McDonalds, and asked if there was an update. 45
Jeff Thompson said there is a blue line stream bisecting the property, which makes a 46
third of the property undevelopable. He said it would also require a forced main sewage. 47
Commissioner McKee asked if there is an update about the state owned site. 48
Jeff Thompson said this property is also not viable. 49
23
Commissioner McKee said he just wanted to make it clear that the County has pursued 1
other options. 2
Commissioner Marcoplos said the challenge going forward seems to be trying to impact 3
the neighborhood minimally. 4
Jeff Thompson said yes. 5
Commissioner Marcoplos said he originally questioned how to make the finished 6
campus as minimally invasive as possible, but now realizes that the actual construction would 7
be the most obtrusive part of the project. He asked if there is a potential for blasting. 8
Jeff Thompson said yes. 9
Commissioner Marcoplos said blasting could possibly affect well and septic tanks and 10
he suggested having a mitigation fund in case this happens. 11
Jeff Thompson said staff could look into this. 12
Commissioner Price said the abstract should reflect that the Hillsborough Planning 13
Board rejected this rezoning plan, even though the Town Board approved it. She said it is 14
important to mitigate the effect of light and noise after the project is completed. 15
Commissioner Jacobs thanked the Hillsborough Town Board for this rezoning. He 16
agreed with Commissioner Marcoplos about mitigation, and said people should not have to 17
prove that the blasting caused damage, but rather the County will accept the fact at face value. 18
Commissioner Jacobs suggested setting up quarterly public information meetings going 19
forward, to invite neighbors to share concerns and questions, and allow staff to provide updates 20
in the projects. He said he would like to be a congenial process, and not adversarial. 21
Commissioner Jacobs said he hoped the BOCC will name the facility after the person he 22
previously suggested. 23
Commissioner Price suggested involving the community in naming decisions. 24
Bonnie Hammersley said she turned the name suggested by Commissioner Jacobs over 25
to the HRC to find the family, and ask if the County could use the name. 26
Commissioner Rich said to put all of the project information on the website, and be 27
ahead of the message. 28
Commissioner Rich asked if blasting companies have insurance for mitigation. 29
John Roberts said companies should have this insurance. 30
Commissioner Marcoplos said in the case of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority 31
(OWASA) and the stone quarry, OWASA took the word of the residents about the blasting 32
issues and wells and septic systems. 33
Commissioner Price said she is happy with the Town of Hillsborough’s decision and this 34
evening’s presentation, she just mentioned including the Town Planning Board’s rejection of 35
this as a way to be fully transparent with the community. 36
Commissioner Jacobs said to incorporate the Hillsborough Planning board decision in 37
the narrative moving forward. 38
39
PUBLIC COMMENTS: 40
Billy Holloway said he feels like this is a done deal, and this project has pros and cons. 41
He said during the construction he knows there will be noise, and he lives 100 feet from the 42
property. He said he is retired and likes to sleep in, and construction starts at 6:30 a.m. He 43
asked if there are any barriers that can be put up to reduce this noise to their homes. He said 44
he and Jeff Thompson have a good relationship, and they have worked many issues out 45
already. He said now this noise, vibrations, and blasting are new concerns. 46
Mark O’Neal said he is a real estate agent, and was involved in the site selection 47
process. He said one of the sellers, Betty Tilley, could not be present this evening, and she had 48
some comments that she wanted him to share with the BOCC. He said he provided a letter 49
from Mrs. Tilley to the BOCC, which highlighted the positive aspects of the project. He said 50
24
Mrs. Tilley is retired from Orange County Schools (OCS) and she is proud that the County is 1
going to re-purpose her site. He said the other family members around the site have been 2
good to work with. 3
Sheriff Blackwood addressed the critical need for a new detention center. He said the 4
current one is aging, has serious challenges, and is not reflective of who Orange County is. He 5
said he is not proud of it, and his department wants to bring continued hope with this project, for 6
both the detention center staff and inmates. He said some of the current challenges are 7
structural and infrastructural. 8
Commissioner Price asked the Sheriff about the amount of traffic that will be coming in 9
and out of the jail. 10
Sheriff Blackwood said the traffic will be about the same as it is now, which is minimal. 11
He said he cannot predict traffic patterns. 12
Commissioner Price said she has heard concerns from the public that there will be 13
police cars coming and going all night with sirens blasting. 14
Sheriff Blackwood said the operations are not centrally located, and staffs do not come 15
back to the office for briefing, but rather do it electronically. He said the cars with running 16
sirens are out and about in the County. He said if an event occurs that requires all staff to 17
respond, then yes there will be sirens, but they will be leaving Hillsborough, not coming in. He 18
said the entire department is a necessary evil. 19
Commissioner McKee asked if the BOCC approves this tonight, is it only approving the 20
acquisition of the land, and not specific uses. 21
Bonnie Hammersley said BOCC approval would be approving specific uses. 22
Commissioner McKee said he is supportive of the need for a detention center, but he is 23
not supportive of a recreation or agricultural center, due to budget constraints. He asked if the 24
BOCC will have another opportunity to approve specific projects moving forward. 25
Bonnie Hammersley said this opportunity will be available during the Capital Investment 26
Plan (CIP). She said if not all of the uses are included, the economics of the project will not 27
work. She said no significant or irreversible work will be done between now and the adoption of 28
the budget on June 19th. She said these discussions can be part of the budget process. 29
Commissioner McKee clarified that, other than the purchase of the property, and the 30
intent to move forward with the detention center, nothing is set in concrete with this vote. 31
Bonnie Hammersley said she cannot answer that right now, because of the economics 32
that make this project work. 33
Jeff Thompson said last year, the options for the agricultural center were reviewed, and 34
the BOCC gave direction to go into the Cornelius Road corridor, and the dollars for that are 35
already appropriated in the CIP. He said the BOCC indicated a desire to repurpose the Revere 36
Road site, and pursue a greenfield option in the Cornelius Road corridor. 37
Commissioner McKee said he was opposed to those decisions as well. 38
Jeff Thompson said the important point is that the money is already appropriated for the 39
greenfield site for the Agricultural Center. 40
41
A motion was made by Commissioner Marcoplos, seconded by Commissioner Rich for 42
the Board to: 43
1) Authorize the Manager to proceed with the acquisition of approximately 21 acres located 44
with the Hillsborough Highway 70/Cornelius Street corridor known as the “Hwy 70 Site 45
Assembly” for the development of the Orange County Northern Campus site that 46
addresses multiple County Capital Investment Plan initiatives; and 47
2) Authorize the Manager to sign the necessary documents for closing the transaction upon 48
final review of the County Attorney. 49
50
25
Commissioner McKee said he will vote for this motion, but he will continue to try and find 1
a way to delay these other projects, due to budget constraints. 2
3
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 4
5
c. Framework for 2018 Orange County Economic Development Summit 6
The Board considered voting to approve and authorize staff to proceed with a 7
framework option allowing staff time to plan the event and to hire any outside 8
consultants/planners needed; and to identify one or more of the topics to be discussed in 9
conjunction with the selected option. 10
11
Todd McGee, Communications Director, reviewed the following information: 12
13
BACKGROUND: 14
The Board of County Commissioners appropriated $30,000 in the FY 2017-18 budget from the 15
Article 46 sales tax to host an Economic Development Summit. Staff solicited potential topics 16
from the BOCC in February and has developed three options based around that feedback. 17
18
Option 1: Summit on the Hill 19
In conjunction with WCHL radio (1360 AM and 97.9 FM), this would be a live discussion about 20
the County’s economic development efforts focused up to four areas. The program would be 21
broadcast live on WCHL on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, from 3-7 p.m. during the drive-time 22
hours, which would provide maximum audience. The radio station’s programming is also live-23
streamed via its website, which would make it accessible to people throughout Orange County. 24
25
One hour of programming would be devoted to each of four topics (a different topic each hour) 26
with unique panels of experts, including members of the Board of Commissioners and local 27
stakeholders, to discuss and respond to questions from listeners. All the programming would be 28
archived on WCHL’s website (Chapelboro.com), providing a Listen on Demand option that 29
could be promoted for the rest of the year. 30
31
WCHL would conduct extensive promotion in the six weeks leading up to the event, including 32
creating a social media hashtag to provide the community an avenue to submit questions and 33
comments before and during the broadcast. The County would also extensively promote the 34
event through social media, the website and electronic publications. Panelists would be able to 35
respond in realtime to comments submitted by listeners. After the event, WCHL would host a 36
reception with other community leaders at University Mall. 37
38
The radio station would handle all logistics (reaching out to panelists, coordinating 39
appearances, recording promos, etc.) for the program and for the reception afterwards. 40
41
This option provides an opportunity to spread the message of the County’s economic 42
development efforts to a wider audience. Members of the BOCC would have the opportunity to 43
interact directly with residents through the social media component and/or questions called in 44
during the show. Pre-recorded segments from individuals who have received Arts Commission 45
or Economic Development grants or started out in the Piedmont Food and Agricultural 46
Processing Center (PFAP) or LAUNCH would highlight local successes, emphasizing the 47
County’s efforts to boost local businesses and start-ups. 48
49
Option 2: A live event to be held in the fall 50
26
The event would be held in the morning at the Whitted Building, or another location, with a 1
breakfast and then sessions afterwards. The target date would be sometime after the Board’s 2
summer break. 3
4
Option 3: Combination of a live event in the fall with potential involvement of WCHL and 5
simulcast on the County’s government channel (1301) 6
The event would be held in the morning at the Whitted Building (or Southern Human Services 7
meeting room), with a breakfast and then sessions afterwards. The target date would be 8
sometime after the Board’s summer break. 9
The four topics below were initially developed for the one-hour discussions under Option 1, or 10
as a “choose one” for the Option 2 live event. Pending the Board’s preference regarding 11
Options 1, 2 or 3, the Board could choose to mix and match from among all four topics for the 12
Summit. 13
• Branding, Arts and Recreational Activities as Economic Drivers – The Orange 14
County/Chapel Hill Visitors Bureau recently completed an assessment of the 15
potential for a multipurpose sports/recreation facility. In addition, Orange County 16
already has existing assets (Soccer.com complex in Mebane and the Mountains to 17
the Sea Trail) that can be tapped to create more recreation-related tourism revenue 18
for the County. 19
• Agritourism and Local Agriculture – Orange County is home to many small 20
specialty farms that can attract visitors and create more economic output in the 21
County through more jobs (note the County hosts an Agriculture Summit each winter 22
that addresses many of these topics). 23
• Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Workforce Development and Job Creation – 24
What kind of jobs can we expect to bring to Orange County? UNC Hospitals and the 25
Hillsborough campus will create demand for more workers in the healthcare industry. 26
What is Durham Technical Community College doing to help meet this demand? 27
• Business/Industrial Recruitment or Other Hot Topic – In 2015, Orange County 28
Economic Development helped recruit Morinaga America Foods to a site in Mebane 29
for its first U.S. plant. In 2017, the County collaborated with the Town of Chapel Hill 30
to recruit a Wegman’s Supermarket to Chapel Hill. What is the County doing to 31
continue to attract new businesses and industries to the County. 32
33
Commissioner Price asked if there is an end product from this event, and the investment 34
of funds into it. 35
Todd McGee said Orange County is doing a lot with economic development, and 36
educating the residents about all that Orange County is doing is important. He said this would 37
be one of the benefits of this endeavor, and would allow the community to hear many of the 38
success stories. 39
Commissioner McKee said he would like to see the “business/industrial recruitment” 40
topic cover, including incentives that were used with Morinaga and Wegmans. 41
Commissioner Marcoplos said he liked option 3, taking place at Whitted and also having 42
a live feed. 43
Commissioner Rich said she also liked option 3, as it will provide an opportunity to 44
update the residents. She suggested using Facebook live during the event, as well as Twitter 45
too. She said the 6-week promotion would probably include having the Board of County 46
Commissioners doing radio promotion. 47
Todd McGee said the radio station would create a hash tag for the event in advance, 48
gather questions, and also do the Facebook live and Twitter. 49
27
Commissioner Jacobs said it would be good to have both personal and electronic 1
interactions. He said the County used to do an event like this, but the Chamber of Commerce 2
took over years ago, due to the County’s Economic Development office falling apart. 3
Commissioner Marcoplos said this could be the beginning of Orange County telling and 4
reclaiming its own story. 5
Chair Dorosin said there is consensus for option 3, and suggested picking the topics at 6
a later date. 7
8
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Rich for the 9
Board to approve and authorize staff to proceed with a framework option allowing staff time to 10
plan the event and to hire any outside consultants/planners needed for Option 3. 11
12
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 13
14
7. Reports 15
NONE 16
17
8. Consent Agenda 18
19
• Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda 20
Item f by Commissioner Price 21
22
• Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda 23
24
A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Price to 25
approve the remaining items on the Consent Agenda. 26
27
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 28
29
• Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda 30
f. Planning Document Amendment Outline Form – Efland-Buckhorn-Mebane Area 31
Access Management Plan Update 32
33
Commissioner Price asked if the community will be able to see the plan before the 34
meeting. 35
Craig Benedict said yes, there will be a community outreach meeting, and the plan will 36
be available to all beforehand by hard copies or electronically on their website. 37
38
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Marcoplos to 39
move agenda item 8-f. 40
41
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 42
43
a. Minutes – None 44
b. Motor Vehicle Property Tax Releases/Refunds 45
The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporate by reference, to release motor vehicle 46
property tax values for five taxpayers with a total of five bills that will result in a reduction of 47
revenue in accordance with NCGS. 48
c. Property Tax Releases/Refunds 49
28
The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, to release property tax 1
values for seven taxpayers with a total of twelve bills that will result in a reduction of revenue in 2
accordance with North Carolina General Statute 105-381. 3
d. Appointment of County Review Officers 4
The Board approved and authorized the Chair to sign the resolution appointing Deborah 5
Blaylock, Kimberly P. Cecil and Dawn B. Perry to be Review Officers for Orange County. 6
e. Major Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application – Morgan Ridge Subdivision 7
The Board reviewed and took action on a Major Subdivision Preliminary Plat application. The 8
majority of the land area encompassing the project is located within Chatham County’s planning 9
jurisdiction while the proposed roadway access point is within Orange County. 10
f. Planning Document Amendment Outline Form – Efland-Buckhorn-Mebane Area 11
Access Management Plan Update 12
The Board voted to initiate an update to the Efland-Buckhorn-Mebane Access Management 13
Plan. 14
15
9. County Manager’s Report 16
17
Bonnie Hammersley said there is an information item on the CIP, and she reviewed 18
some of the highlights below: 19
20
Sportsplex: 21
This project is currently under construction and is anticipated to be complete in the summer of 22
2018. Site work is largely complete, but has endured wet winter weather challenges. The 23
building construction is underway. County staff is working with the Town of Hillsborough and the 24
Forest Ridge subdivision regarding the sidewalk expansion connecting the Sportsplex property 25
to the Forest Ridge subdivision. 26
27
Facility Accessibility and Safety Upgrades: 28
In FY2017-18 this project included installing security cameras at multiple facilities across the 29
County. All the cameras planned for installation in FY2017-18 have been installed and are 30
operational. The facilities that have new cameras include Efland Cheeks Community Center, 31
Rogers Road Community Center, Court Street Annex, Historic Courthouse, and the Orange 32
County Fuel Station. This project is complete. 33
34
Passmore Center Expansion: 35
This project is currently under construction and is anticipated to be complete in the late summer 36
of 2018. Site work is largely complete and, like the Sportsplex Fieldhouse, has endured wet 37
winter weather challenges. The building construction is anticipated to start late spring. 38
39
Southern Campus Expansion: 40
The Board of County Commissioners awarded a professional services agreement with Smith 41
Sinnett Architecture on November 2, 2017. Both phases of this project are currently in the 42
schematic design phase. Schematic design includes programming, conceptual design, as well 43
as thorough technical review by the Town of Chapel Hill planning staff (as governed by the 44
master plan special use permit). The Board of Orange County Commissioners will review this 45
schematic design in June, 2018. Development design and construction documents for Phase 1 46
(Seymour Center expansion, roadway straightening, and additional Seymour Center parking) 47
are anticipated to be complete in the winter of 2018. Construction of Phase 1 is anticipated to 48
be complete is the late winter 2020. Phase 2 construction (meeting facility, Health and Dental 49
29
Clinic, Department of Social Services construction) is anticipated to start and finish 1
approximately nine months behind Phase 1 or in the late fall 2020. 2
3
Commissioner Jacobs referred to the Sportsplex, and said he saw a document stating 4
that the Town of Hillsborough did not require the developer of Forrest Ridge to provide a 5
sidewalk, and was trying to extort it from the County. He asked if there is an update on this 6
issue. 7
Jeff Thompson said staff worked with the Forest Ridge group, who is interested in a 8
connection, and the County is interested in a sidewalk. He said staff has arranged for Forrest 9
Ridge to pay for the area on its side of Highway 70, and the crossing over to connect to the 10
sidewalk on the County’s side of the facility. 11
Commissioner Jacobs asked if that is different from what the Town of Hillsborough 12
originally requested. 13
Jeff Thompson said the request came from Forrest Ridge. He said a sidewalk had been 14
planned, but DOT was contemplating widening highway 70, which put the sidewalk on hold. He 15
said the DOT widening issue was lifted at the same time that Forrest Ridge requested a 16
connection. He said Hillsborough helped with these negotiations. 17
Commissioner Jacobs asked if DOT will allow a crosswalk. 18
Jeff Thompson said yes, and it is on the Forrest Ridge component of the work. He said 19
it is a stamped crosswalk, and it does not have any other than signage, but it will be a safe 20
crosswalk. 21
Commissioner Rich asked if vehicles will know to stop for pedestrians at the crosswalk. 22
Jeff Thompson said adequate signage will be posted, and a reduction in speed limit has 23
been requested, which DOT is evaluating. He said the speed limit is currently 40-45 miles per 24
hour. 25
Commissioner Rich said to keep an eye on this. 26
27
10. County Attorney’s Report 28
NONE 29
30
11. *Appointments 31
32
a. Carrboro Northern Transition Area Advisory Committee – Appointment 33
The Board considered making an appointment to the Carrboro Northern Transition Area 34
Advisory Committee. 35
36
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to 37
appoint the following to the Carrboro NTA Advisory Committee: 38
39
• Appointment to a second full term (Position #2) “BOCC Appointee” position for Anahid 40
Vrana expiring 01/31/2021. 41
42
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 43
44
12. Information Items 45
46
• March 20, 2018 BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions List 47
• Tax Collector’s Report – Numerical Analysis 48
• Tax Collector’s Report – Measure of Enforced Collections 49
• Tax Assessor's Report – Releases/Refunds under $100 50
30
• Memorandum - FY2017-18 Capital Investment Plan Information Updates 1
2
13. Closed Session 3
NONE 4
5
14. Adjournment 6
7
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to 8
adjourn the meeting at 10:15 p.m. 9
10
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 11
12
Mark Dorosin, Chair 13
14
Donna Baker 15
Clerk to the Board 16